| 1 | [[quoteright:199:[[ComicBook/SergioAragonesDestroysDC https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_batman.png]]]] |
| 2 | [[caption-width-right:199:[[WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse What kind of jerk puts "the" in front of their name anyway?]]]] |
| 3 | |
| 4 | ->''"Hmm, I'm not sure about [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk 'Hulk']] for a kid. Although I do like the sound of a name beginning with 'the'."'' |
| 5 | -->-- '''Phoebe''', ''Series/{{Friends}}'' |
| 6 | |
| 7 | Some people want you to put a "The" before their name. [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Avoid these people]]. (In particular, if the name does not sound like an ordinary name — say, "the Ice" — then [[TheMafia do not borrow money from them]], or at least make very, ''very'' sure to keep up with the payments, and then some.) For two particularly ominous versions, see TheMaster and TheButcher. |
| 8 | |
| 9 | Another particular use of this trope involves the use of emphasized "the"s -- in text, written in either bold or italic fonts (or both) -- to refer to someone or something that is well-known and/or set the current bar for other examples like it down the line, as if to say "this is the ''real'' deal." |
| 10 | |
| 11 | A form of InsistentTerminology. May overlap with ThirdPersonPerson, and is commonly used with CapitalLettersAreMagic. |
| 12 | |
| 13 | In Japanese media, many works will feature a "THE" followed by the rest of the title in Japanese characters. |
| 14 | |
| 15 | Compare TheMagnificent, where the "the" goes in the middle--and which is not always bad. See also RedBaron, TheTropeWithoutATitle, and TheTheTitleConfusion, where it is unclear whether or not something should begin with a "the". |
| 16 | ---- |
| 17 | !!The Examples: |
| 18 | [[index]] |
| 19 | * [[SpellMyNameWithAThe/RealLife The Real Life]] |
| 20 | [[/index]] |
| 21 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 22 | |
| 23 | [[folder:The Advertising]] |
| 24 | * Inversion: A late-1990s Creator/{{ESPN}} commercial series stars Mike O'Malley as "Rick", bemoaning that "everyone calls me ''The'' Rick." |
| 25 | * ''Domino's Pizza'' has Advertising/TheNoid, who is always ''The'' Noid. |
| 26 | [[/folder]] |
| 27 | |
| 28 | [[folder:The Anime & The Manga]] |
| 29 | * ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'': Chazz Princeton from the dub. The original was similar, with Manjoume constantly correcting people with "Manjoume-''san da''!" (roughly translated to "That's ''Mr.'' Manjoume, to you!"). Unfortunately, too many of the offenders [[InsultBackfire completely misinterpret this]] as him trying to say the Engrish "Thunder", and thus twisting it into his nickname "Manjoume Thunder". |
| 30 | * ''Manga/{{Kinnikuman}}'': |
| 31 | ** The Ninja. ''Kinnikuman'' is a series that likes to throw a lot of inappropriate "The"s at the start of characters' names, although they're normally omitted in translation. The most bizarre example is "Big The Budo". Much to the confusion of most English speakers, "The Budo" is the character's base name, not "Big". [[DubNameChange It's why he was renamed "Big Budo" in the localization of]] ''[[Anime/UltimateMuscle Galactic Wrestling: Featuring Ultimate Muscle]]'' |
| 32 | ** One particular case that comes in the reboot combines this with the series' ''other'' primary naming gimmick of SomethingPerson. The leader of the Perfect Origin is known by different names, such as Choujin Enma and Strong the Budo. Once he is no longer an active antagonist, we learn his true identity, that of [[spoiler:the Choujin God of Mercy who descended from heaven to guide and protect the Choujin as a whole before being tempted by darker powers]]. Once he's back on the side of good, the name everyone settles on calling him is indicative of this aspect of his nature and the fact he's one of, if not ''the'', oldest Choujin. They call him simply "The Man". |
| 33 | * The girls' official designation in ''Manga/PsychicSquad'' is "The Children." |
| 34 | * ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' gives us The World (ZA WARUDO), Dio Brando's Stand. This name doesn't seem to mesh very well with what it does. On the same vein, the stands of Iggy and Arabia Fats are named The Fool and The Sun respectively. Other tarot-themed stands do not follow this convention (for example: Star Platinum). |
| 35 | ** Dio refers to himself as "Kono Dio-sama" which roughly means "this magnificent Dio," usually translated as "I, Dio." |
| 36 | ** In the ''Literature/JorgeJoestar'' novel, [[PresidentEvil President Funny Valentine's]] son and grandson are named Funnier Valentine and The Funniest Valentine, with the latter being specifically noted as the first person in history to have a first name of "The". |
| 37 | * ''Anime/ReadOrDie'' features a heroine with code name "The Paper" in GratuitousEnglish. {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d by Anita who explains her job to Nenene as being her "The Bodyguard". |
| 38 | * ''Manga/DGrayMan'': The Earl of Millennium is referred to in this way. It's even included in the character profiles from the Japanese official materials as part of his name. |
| 39 | * ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'': Scirocco's final mecha is named the The O (no, that's not a typo). In this case, the "O" seems to represent the world -- thus, "The O" means "the entire planet", representing Scirocco's ambition to TakeOverTheWorld. |
| 40 | * ''Literature/SwordArtOnline'': Kirito mentions that one can identify high-level Bosses by this trope, such as "The Gleam Eyes" or "The Skull Reaper". In an amusing turn of events, Kirito becomes known as ''The'' Black Swordsman. Spell my name with a "The" indeed. |
| 41 | * ''Manga/{{Saki}}'': The subtitles have [[ThirdPersonPerson Amae Koromo]] refer to herself as ''the'' Koromo, [[{{Woolseyism}} possibly to point out that she isn't doing it to be cute.]] |
| 42 | * ''Manga/{{Blame}}'': After the main event, the main character is referred as [[RedBaron The]] [[PersonOfMassDestruction Calamity]]. |
| 43 | * ''Manga/ShamanKing'': In the TournamentArc, Tao Ren names his team The Ren team. When "team" is said after the name of a team, it becomes "the The Ren team". It is usually said before, as with "Team X-Laws" or "Team Funbari Onsen", but Tao Ren chose to name it "Team The Ren" specifically so that either way, it's his team. |
| 44 | * ''Anime/DarkerThanBlack'': While Hei doesn't have a "the" before that name, one of his other names is "The Black Reaper". |
| 45 | * ''Literature/{{Toradora}}'': Taiga Asaka is referred to by her fellow students as "The Palmtop Tiger" for her diminutive statue and tsundere nature. |
| 46 | * ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': Kenpachi Zaraki declares there is nothing he cannot cut because he's "The Kenpachi" (a title give to the strongest swordsman in all of Soul Society by way of KlingonPromotion. Zaraki specifically is the eleventh Kenpachi) during his fight with Gremmy Thoumeaux. |
| 47 | * One of the magazines in Shueisha's ''Margaret'' line is called "The Margaret". |
| 48 | * ''Anime/SailorMoon'': While likely a quirk of the Portuguese language, this trope is nonetheless inverted in one of the Brazilian dubs, during her InTheNameOfTheMoon[[note]]or "Em nome da lua" in Portuguese.[[/note]] speech, she says "Sou uma Sailor Moon!", which literally translates to "I'm a Sailor Moon!". |
| 49 | [[/folder]] |
| 50 | |
| 51 | [[folder:The Comedy]] |
| 52 | * Creator/PeteHolmes has a stand-up special called "Nice Try, the Devil". |
| 53 | [[/folder]] |
| 54 | |
| 55 | [[folder:The Comic Books]] |
| 56 | * As the page quote shows, ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'', often referred to as "The Hulk" as well. Amusingly, it's barely used in self-descriptions due to HulkSpeak. |
| 57 | * [[MemeticMutation The Goddamn]] Characters/{{Batman|TheCharacter}}, [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]], [[Characters/BatmanTheRiddler The Riddler]], [[Characters/BatmanThePenguin The Penguin]], and [[Characters/BatmanTheScarecrow The Scarecrow]], though occasionally the articles get dropped when they are being spoken to directly. It's even {{lampshade|Hanging}}d in one issue of ''ComicBook/SupermanAndBatmanGenerations'', when Bruce is talking to Alfred's ghost. ''"The" Batman. You must be the only one who uses the definite article anymore.'' |
| 58 | ** And in ''Film/BatmanReturns'' by [[Characters/CatwomanSelinaKyle Selina Kyle]]. |
| 59 | --->'''Selina:''' Wow. ''The'' Batman...\ |
| 60 | '''Batman:''' [VisibleSilence]\ |
| 61 | '''Selina:''' Or is it just "Batman"?\ |
| 62 | '''Batman:''' [VisibleSilence, then leaves]\ |
| 63 | '''Selina:''' Your choice, of course! |
| 64 | ** ''ComicBook/SergioAragonesDestroysDC'' has some fun with this in Batman's chapter: |
| 65 | --->'''Random hobo:''' It's Batman!!\ |
| 66 | '''Batman:''' That's ''"The" Batman'' to you, scum!\ |
| 67 | ''(later, at the amusement park)''\ |
| 68 | '''Joker:''' Hiya, ''"The"''! Fancy meeting you here!\ |
| 69 | '''Batman:''' What's this "The" business, Joker? You don't know me well enough to address me by my first name[...] |
| 70 | * ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'': |
| 71 | ** In ''ComicBook/ManOfSteel2018'', Superman runs into Toyman, who resents not being called ''THE Toyman'': |
| 72 | --->'''Superman:''' ''"You absolutely do...Toyman."''\ |
| 73 | '''Toyman:''' ''"Not Toyman. The Toyman! '''THE''' Toyman. Like '''THE Godfather''', you alien pain in my tuchas!"'' |
| 74 | ** Defied in ''ComicBook/SupermanSmashesTheKlan''. When Superman makes his DynamicEntry: |
| 75 | --->'''Atom Man:''' GASP! The Superman! Oof!\ |
| 76 | '''Superman:''' No "the." The "the" is a bit pretentious, don't you think? |
| 77 | * ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': The Shocker. Not to mention The Sandman, [[Characters/MarvelComicsTheKingpin The Kingpin]], [[Characters/MarvelComicsNormanOsborn The Green Goblin]], The Hobgoblin, The Jackal, The Lizard, The Rhino, The Tinkerer, The Vulture, The Rose, The... Of course, Spidey would never settle for being outdone by his enemies. The Webslinger, The Wallcrawler, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man... heck, one version of him even monologues to himself that he is The Spectacular Spider-Man (or even The Amazing Spider-Man)! |
| 78 | * The Spike in the second ''ComicBook/XForce'' insists on the definite article, to the point of also being a ThirdPersonPerson. |
| 79 | * The Corinthian from ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989''. Despite the title, the Sandman himself is an aversion. He is usually called Dream, or Morpheus. |
| 80 | * ''ComicBook/CerebusTheAardvark'': While Cerebus was married to Red Sophia, she was once called Mrs the Aardvark. |
| 81 | * The Drummer in ''ComicBook/{{Planetary}}''. First name ''the'', second name ''Drummer''. |
| 82 | * The original alias of Oroku Saki in ''ComicBook/{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|Mirage}}'' was actually "The Shredder". As time went by and subsequent [[Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1990 media]] [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 adaptations]] left their mark on the franchise, he is now more commonly referred as simply "Shredder". |
| 83 | * ComicBook/TheFlash counts too. |
| 84 | * J'onn J'onzz is almost always referred to as THE ComicBook/MartianManhunter, not just "Martian Manhunter". Or just the Manhunter. Or the Manhunter from Mars. Point is, he's always a "the". |
| 85 | * The Mandarin from ''ComicBook/IronMan''. Tony Stark calls the armor "the Iron Man" as a way of distinguishing himself from his weapon system. |
| 86 | * ComicBook/ThePunisher has fought THE Russian, THE Mongolian, and THE Mennonite. |
| 87 | * ''ComicBook/XMen'': |
| 88 | ** Nobody can stop The Characters/{{Juggernaut|MarvelComics}} from being mentioned here! |
| 89 | ** Nothing moves The Blob off this page! |
| 90 | ** The wielder of the Phoenix Force is known either as 'the Phoenix' or just 'Phoenix'. The entity itself is almost universally referred to as ThePhoenix. |
| 91 | * ''ComicBook/TransformersGenerationOne'': Of the Original Thirteen Primes, two things stand out about The Fallen (real name Megatronus Prime). The other is that he's perpetually on ''[[WreathedInFlames fire]]''. |
| 92 | * During the ''ComicBook/YoungJustice'': [[CrisisCrossover Sins of Youth]] story arc, ComicBook/KlarionTheWitchBoy ''insists'' that you address him as ''Klarion [[DramaticTimpani Bum Bum Bum]] The Witch Boy''. |
| 93 | * In ''Franchise/TheDCU'', {{God}} himself uses this for most of the names he uses/aspects he appears in, The Source, The Presence, The Hand, and The Voice. [[OddNameOut Wally]] doesn't use it, presumably because it would clash with the unassuming persona of that aspect. |
| 94 | * In Creator/BrianKVaughan's ''ComicBook/SaGa'' Freelancers have names in the format of 'The <Word>'. Notable in that "The" is always capitalized and is almost always included ("Good luck, The Will"). Her being called "The Stalk" also gives Marko pause and makes Alana immediately realize she's a Freelancer when they first encounter The Stalk. Other known Freelancers include The Import, The March, The Fluke, and The Brand. |
| 95 | * Characters/BlackCanary was originally "the Black Canary" but eventually "the" was removed from her title. |
| 96 | * ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'': |
| 97 | ** The villain eventually revealed to be Nina Close was known as The Mask, due to the black mask she wears and the DeathTrap masks she locks her victims in. |
| 98 | ** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': The Adjudicator's title just doesn't work without the "The" |
| 99 | ** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': The White Magician is always referred to with a "the" before his former-superhero-current-supervillain name. |
| 100 | * In the ''ComicBook/{{Batgirl}}'' storyline ''ComicBook/TheAttackOfTheAnnihilator'', the titular villains insists that his name is "''THE'' Annihilator". |
| 101 | * The Cat, from the ''ComicBook/LeChat'' comics, literally has "The" as his first name. |
| 102 | [[/folder]] |
| 103 | |
| 104 | [[folder:The Comic Strips]] |
| 105 | * The Dog from ''ComicStrip/FootrotFlats'', who's likely to respond to his real name ([[spoiler:Raupo]]) by [[BerserkButton ripping your throat out]]. |
| 106 | * In the UK's weekly anthology comic ''ComicBook/TheBeano'', any character referred to with a "the" in their title actually has it in their name. ComicStrip/{{Dennis|TheMenaceUK}} the [[SimilarlyNamedWorks Menace]] has parents referred to as Mr & Mrs. The Menace, Ivy The Terrible's have been called Mr & Mrs The Terrible (although admittedly Mr/Mrs Terrible is more usual), along with Mr/Mrs The Minx, Mr/Mrs The Dodger. However they have also all been given other names on occasion, so these names might not be considered canon. |
| 107 | [[/folder]] |
| 108 | |
| 109 | [[folder:The Fan Works]] |
| 110 | * ''Fanfic/TheAceSavvyExtendedUniverse'': In addition to the canon characters such as the Night Club, some villains include ''the'' Exterminator, ''the'' Tanooki, and ''the'' Mosquito. |
| 111 | * Comedic example: ''Fanfic/AlternativeGods'' has "The [[SpecialPersonNormalName Matt]]." There's also "The L" [[PersonOfMassDestruction which is much more menacing.]] |
| 112 | * ''Fanfic/ACertainDrollHivemind'': The Network always refers to ''the'' Accelerator, underlining how they see him less as a person and more as a force. It ''is'' technically a title, so it's appropriate, [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep but he uses it as his name because he's forgotten his real one]]. |
| 113 | * ''Fanfic/HellsisterTrilogy'': Subverted because Kara is not so cocky as to add "the" to her codename, but Nemesis always refers to her as "the" ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}. |
| 114 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' fanfic ''Fanfic/LincolnsMemories'': |
| 115 | ** In "Horsey Ride", Luan and Lincoln give themselves and Lucy "cowboy/cowgirl names". Luan's is "The Wandering Pie-Thrower", Lincoln's is "The White-Haired Rider", and Lucy's is "The Dark Princess". |
| 116 | ** The magician in "Lincoln's Seventh Birthday" is named the Amazing Alexander. |
| 117 | * Standard fare for the ghosts and demons in ''Fanfic/TheMansionverse''. "The" Hatbox Ghost, "the" Ghost Host, "the" One-Eyed Black Cat… even [[TheCameo "the" Mothman]]. |
| 118 | * The Disinfector from ''Fanfic/MarieDSuesseAndTheMysteryNewPirateAge''. |
| 119 | * ''Fanfic/TheMountainAndTheWolf'': The titular Wolf's actual name is Wulfrik, but he only ever seems to be referred to as "the Wolf". Even in narration. |
| 120 | * Numerous cases in ''Fanfic/TheNightUnfurls'': |
| 121 | ** Kyril has ''five'' of such titles: the Hunter, the Good Hunter, [[TakingUpTheMantle the First Hunter]], the Saint of Killers, and the Reaper. |
| 122 | ** "The Goddess Reborn", for Celestine. |
| 123 | ** "The Dark Queen", for Olga. |
| 124 | ** "The Silent Hunter", for Hugh. |
| 125 | ** "The Pristine Hunter", for Lily. |
| 126 | ** Several orc war chiefs are named like this. There's "the Defiler" and "the Arsonist" in the original version, and there's "the Arch-Arsonist" and "the Eater of Men" in the remastered version. |
| 127 | * ''Fanfic/PerfectionIsOverrated'', has [[BigBad The Usurper]], although Natsuki once just calls him "Usurper," as well as [[MrExposition The Advisor]] [[spoiler:also known as The Avatar]]. |
| 128 | * The Shining Armor Arc of the ''Fanfic/PonyPOVSeries'' has a background character known only as The Lord Flasheart. Asking him for advice on dating is [[BrainBleach advised against]]. |
| 129 | * In ''Fanfic/TheSuperheroicsOfHaruhiSuzumiya'', [[Manga/MyHeroAcademia Izuku]] and [[Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya Haruhi]] run into a rather excentric Pro Heroine who demands that they address her ''The'' Kagemusha. |
| 130 | -->"[[WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks It's like A Tribe Called Quest, you have to say the whole thing.]]" |
| 131 | * ''Fanfic/TaylorVarga'': After Amy saves her friend Lucy from a mugger, everyone takes to referring to her as ''The'' Amy, much to her chagrin. While it dies down eventually, her nearest and dearest still break it out on occasion. |
| 132 | * The Baron in ''Fanfic/ThroughADiamondSky'', leader of the Resource Hog Gang. |
| 133 | * Remarkably ''[[InvertedTrope inverted]]'' in the ''Fanfic/TriptychContinuum'' with Sun and Moon (as in, the celestial bodies), which are referred to with a distinct lack of "the" in Celestia and Luna's narration. ''A Mark of Appeal'' reveals that that's because [[spoiler:they are actually {{Magitek}} constructs, complete with internal AIs]]. |
| 134 | * The Hunter in ''Fanfic/WithStringsAttached''. Quite pointedly, as evidenced by the following exchange: |
| 135 | -->John said over his burden, "We're lookin' for a hunter, actually."\ |
| 136 | The blond man smoothed his mustache and gazed thoughtfully at the ceiling. "A hunter? I'm sure I can find someone here to accommodate you… hm…."\ |
| 137 | "Didn't he say ''the'' hunter?" George said to John.\ |
| 138 | The blond man's eyes snapped down. "''The'' hunter? You mean—''the'' Hunter?"\ |
| 139 | "Yeah, I’m sure we mean ''the'' Hunter," John said. He sighed and shifted Paul to a slightly more comfortable position. "Of course it's gotta be ''the'' Hunter. We always get the ''the's''." |
| 140 | * In ''Fanfic/TheWizardInTheShadows'' this trope meets TheMagnificent in a torrent of cool names: (Emrys) The Avenger. (Harry) The Darkness Slayer. (Sirius) The Marauder. (Théoden) The Defender. (Théodred) The Green Knight. (Éowyn) The Wraith Killer. (Eirian) The Doom Singer. |
| 141 | [[/folder]] |
| 142 | |
| 143 | [[folder:The Animated Films]] |
| 144 | * WesternAnimation/{{Bambi}}'s father, The Great Prince of the Forest. |
| 145 | * The "La" part of La Muerte from ''WesternAnimation/TheBookOfLife''’s name basically means "the". |
| 146 | * In ''WesternAnimation/Cars1'', one of the racers is Strip Weathers, AKA "The King". At one point, Lightning [=McQueen=] calls him, "Mr. The King". Extra credit for referring to The King's wife as "Mrs. The King". |
| 147 | * [[BigBad Toad]] from ''WesternAnimation/FlushedAway''. Many characters[[note]]including himself[[/note]] refer to him as "The Toad". |
| 148 | * In ''WesternAnimation/Home2015'', the two prominent alien species are called '''The''' Boov and '''The''' Gorg. [[spoiler:It's literal in the latter's case, as there is only one of them.]] |
| 149 | * In ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', Dash refers to himself as "The Dash". |
| 150 | * Done with an InsultBackfire in ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda1''. |
| 151 | -->'''Tai Lung:''' You can't defeat me! You're just a big...fat...panda!\ |
| 152 | '''Po:''' I'm not a big, fat panda... I'm ''THE'' big, fat panda! |
| 153 | ** ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda4'' introduces The Chameleon as the BigBad, who is always referred as such by other characters, ''especially'' Po. |
| 154 | --> '''Po:''' How do we defeat this "The Chameleon"? |
| 155 | * The Once-ler in the 2012 ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lorax|2012}}'' adaptation is an odd case in that, while AmbiguouslyHuman in the original, he's a seemingly normal man in this version, yet he's still only ever referred to as "The Once-ler". |
| 156 | * The Tramp, from ''WesternAnimation/LadyAndTheTramp''. Though he frequently gets called "Tramp", mostly by the people closest to him (like Lady). When Lady's owners adopt him he becomes just "Tramp" to everyone. |
| 157 | * ''WesternAnimation/StrangeMagic'' has The Bog King, although characters also abridge it to 'BK' or just call him 'Bog' (or in his AbhorrentAdmirer's case, "[[TheNicknamer Boggy-Woggy Kingy-Wingy]]"). |
| 158 | [[/folder]] |
| 159 | |
| 160 | [[folder:The Live-Action Films]] |
| 161 | * In ''Film/{{Accident}}'', Ho Kwok-fai is known as 'The Brain', and whenever anyone refers to him by his nickname, it always includes the definite article. |
| 162 | * ''Film/TheBatman2022'' |
| 163 | * ''Film/TheBigLebowski'': "The Dude", though he's actually addressed as just "Dude". There is also Jesus Quintana referring to himself once as "The Jesus", which even appears in [[Film/YouDontMessWithTheJesus the title of his movie]]. |
| 164 | * In ''Film/BillAndTedsExcellentAdventure'', our heroes refer to Billy the Kid as "Mr The Kid" (and Joan of Arc as "Ms Of Arc"). |
| 165 | * The title of Series/{{Chespirito}}'s film ''El Chanfle'' (and its sequel) refers to the main character (which he also plays). |
| 166 | * The Chad in ''Film/CharliesAngels2000''. |
| 167 | * ''Film/ColdPursuit'': Brock puts his brother Nels in touch with a ProfessionalKiller called 'The Eskimo'. Brock warns him that is always 'The Eskimo', not 'Eskimo'. Apparently, it's a Mob thing. |
| 168 | * A pretty bad example is ''Film/TheEyeCreatures'', which was given the prefix "Attack of the" for re-distribution ''without'' removing the "the" that was already there. |
| 169 | * The Chief in ''Film/{{Fanboys}}'': |
| 170 | -->'''The Chief:''' The Chief likes to refer to himself in the third person. It causes confusion, especially with the bitches. |
| 171 | * ''Film/TheFinalDestination'', fifth in the ''Film/FinalDestination'' series. |
| 172 | * ''Theatre/AFunnyThingHappenedOnTheWayToTheForum'' has MilesGloriosus, who does not technically insist on a The, but other characters are compelled to give him one (or two). Fun fact: Latin doesn't even use articles like English does! |
| 173 | -->'''[[EvilMatriarch Domina]]:''' ''The'' Gloriosus?\ |
| 174 | '''[[TheTrickster Pseudolus]]:''' The ''the'' himself! |
| 175 | * ''Film/GroundhogDay'': Averted. |
| 176 | -->'''Phil:''' I'm ''a'' god. I'm not ''the'' God... I don't think. |
| 177 | * The villain in ''Film/{{Hackers}}'' insists on going by his hacker handle, "The Plague". When he corrects a security guard played by [[Creator/PennAndTeller Penn Jillette]], the guard responds, "Sorry, Mr. The Plague!" |
| 178 | * ''{{Film/Highlander}}'': Subverted by the Kurgan. He is never called "Kurgan", but always "the Kurgan". The subversion is that it isn't his name, but the name of his [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurgan_hypothesis now extinct people]]. Since he is the only one left, he is ''the'' Kurgan. For added GeniusBonus, the Kurgan people were named by modern archaeologists for a Turkic word meaning a burial mound; no one knows what they called themselves. |
| 179 | * The Drake, the gang boss in ''Film/HoboWithAShotgun''. Insisting on this is one of his less deranged characteristics. |
| 180 | * The Greg Wilson. Who did ''Film/TheHottieAndTheNottie'', which should tell you something, and from the same film, "The Jesus". |
| 181 | * In ''Film/{{Jackdaw}}'', at one Jack Dawson refers to himself as "the Jackdaw", later on in the film Bo lists this as [[IHaveManyNames one of Jack's monikers]]. |
| 182 | * ''Film/{{Kopps}}'': Benny calls himself "Benny the Cop". |
| 183 | * The titular character of the ''Film/ElMariachi'' trilogy has NoNameGiven, so other characters [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep call him "El Mariachi"]], or by the third movie, just "El". |
| 184 | * In ''Film/OnceUponASpy'', TheSpymaster who runs the agency Chenault and Tannheill work for is always referred to as ''''The''' Lady'. |
| 185 | -->'''Tannehill:''' The Lady wants to see you.\ |
| 186 | '''Chenhault:''' What lady?\ |
| 187 | '''Tannehill:''' ''The'' Lady! |
| 188 | * ''Film/ThePassionOfTheChrist''. Justified, since "Christ" wasn't originally a name, but rather a title meaning "anointed" (in Greek, equivalent to Hebrew "Messiah"). |
| 189 | * [[CleanupCrew The Wolf]] ([[AlliterativeName Winston Wolf]]), in ''Film/PulpFiction''. |
| 190 | * The co-creator of ''Film/RepoTheGeneticOpera'' has been quoted as saying "I think if you asked Pavi, he would say his first name is 'The'." |
| 191 | * ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'': More than a few civilians refer to Peter Parker's vigilante identity as "the Spider-Man", even if Peter doesn't actually do so himself. |
| 192 | * In the Irish comedy ''The Stag'', a group of friends go on what is supposed to be a quiet stag party in the countryside, but are forced to bring the bride's brother with them. His name is The Machine. He is called The Machine every time anyone talks about him or to him, even his sister. Every. Single. Time. The "The" is not left off even once. |
| 193 | * ''Franchise/StarWars'': The series' BigBad, in the original trilogy, is referred to solely as TheEmperor. The original ExpandedUniverse did clarify that his name was Palpatine, but this name did not appear onscreen until 1999’s ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'', and many casual fans who hadn’t followed the EU were still surprised by ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' revealing him to be the Emperor. |
| 194 | * The second ''Film/{{Suicide Squad|2016}}'' film in the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse is titled ''Film/TheSuicideSquad''. |
| 195 | * From ''Where the Heart Is'': |
| 196 | -->'''Jimmy:''' We're broke, we're desperate, we're hopeless... The fag doesn't pay, the Shit doesn't pay...\ |
| 197 | '''Chloe:''' Don't call him "the fag!"\ |
| 198 | '''Daphne:''' Don't call him "the Shit!"\ |
| 199 | '''Shitty:''' At least I'm "the Shit." You're just ''a'' shit. |
| 200 | * In ''Film/AWrinkleInTime2018'', the BigBad is referred to as "The It". Most likely it was RenamedToAvoidAssociation with ''Film/It2017''. |
| 201 | * In ''Film/YouDontMessWithTheZohan'', the titular character is sometimes referred to with a "The", although he himself doesn't do that. His archnemesis The Phantom is always referred to with a "The", except when it's revealed that his EmbarrassingFirstName is [[spoiler:Fatoush]]. |
| 202 | * ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'' has The Dag and The Bullet Farmer, who are always referred to with a "The" both in-universe and in promotional material. |
| 203 | [[/folder]] |
| 204 | |
| 205 | [[folder:The Literature]] |
| 206 | * Less often done in the "hero pulps", but often in the paperback original series of the 1960s to 1980s. Literature/TheExecutioner, the Penetrator, the Sharpshooter, the Liquidator, Literature/TheDestroyer, the Butcher, the [[NounVerber Nazi Hunter]], the Terminator, the Revenger, the Avenger, the Protector, etc., stand as examples. Many retrospectives on the paperback original trend (e.g. Jeff Siegel's The American Detective: An Illustrated History, Sons of Sam Spade, Geherin in American Private Eye, Warren Murphy's article in The Fine Art of Murder, Murder Off the Rack's Matt Helm article) derisively point out how common the agent noun series title turned out. |
| 207 | ---- |
| 208 | * The Agents in the ''Literature/AhrimanTrilogy'' seem to have a penchant for this with The Surgeon and The Axe-Man. |
| 209 | * ''Literature/TheAgeOfMadness'': The North has Named Men, celebrated warriors who are known by a nickname earned in battle. When Rikke finds the name of her lover, the Nail, a bit cumbersome, she asks what his friends call him. He answers, "The Nail." She asks what his father calls him, and he answers, "The Nail." |
| 210 | * ''Literature/BeautifulCreatures'' calls its dark creatures 'lilum'. And there's one that's just 'The Lilum'. |
| 211 | * The cover of {{Creator/Rik Mayall}}'s semi-fictionalised autobiography ''Bigger Than Hitler, Better Than Christ'' names him as The Rik Mayall. |
| 212 | * Subverted in ''Literature/BlueAvenger'', in which the protagonist wants to legally change his name to "The Blue Avenger", until it's pointed out that "The" would end up being his first name, after which he drops the "The" and becomes just "Blue Avenger". |
| 213 | * ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'': In ''Literature/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'', the Pevensie children refer to the CreepyHousekeeper, Mrs. Macready, as The Macready, although she doesn't call herself that, of course. |
| 214 | * All of the [[SquishyWizard Insequent]] from ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfThomasCovenant'' have titles like this: the Harrow, the Ardent, the Mahdoubt, etc. These are not their [[IKnowYourTrueName true names]], however. |
| 215 | * In ''Clarges'' aka ''To Live Forever'' by Creator/JackVance, those who reach the top caste (whose perqs include effective immortality) get "The" prefixed to their name; the protagonist, Gavin Waylock, thus becomes The Gavin Waylock. |
| 216 | * Inverted in ''Literature/TheClericQuintet''. The assassin known as Ghost gets irritated with anyone who calls him "the ghost". |
| 217 | * In Jeramey Kraatz's ''Literature/TheCloakSociety'', [[TheBabyOfTheBunch Misty]], who has SuperSmoke powers, bugs people to call her "the Mist". [[TheProtagonist Alex]] keeps telling that this is a bad idea, noting that Misty's aunt went from "the Phantom Queen" to just "Phantom", and the titular supervillain team is usually just called "Cloak", even by its members. |
| 218 | * ''Literature/ClockpunkAndTheVitalizer'': Is apparently the case with The Vitalizer, though he naturally doesn't offer any other names in the story. |
| 219 | * A negative variation is in ''Literature/TheComfortableCourtesan'', in which Clorinda almost always refers to von Ehleben (a sadistic bad john who almost killed her) only as "the Junker", because she can't bear to use his name. |
| 220 | * In ''Literature/AConnecticutYankeeInKingArthursCourt'', Hank Morgan comes to be known as The Boss; he's pleased with this, because "there were very few [=THEs=] -- the king, the queen, the Pope -- and I was one of them." |
| 221 | * ''Franchise/TheDarkTower'': Roland Deschain, a.k.a. "The Gunslinger". |
| 222 | * The Jackal from ''Literature/TheDayOfTheJackal''. This is partly the consequence of his name being a secret even from the reader. Before he got his code name he was called the Englishman. |
| 223 | * ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': Although it's not a person's name, special mention must go to ''[[InsistentTerminology ...the Woodpecker]]'' from ''Literature/GoingPostal''. Spelled not only with a "the", but with a DramaticPause as well. |
| 224 | * Lawrence Smith, in Creator/RobertAHeinlein's ''Literature/DoubleStar'', bills himself as "The Great Lorenzo" Smythe, "the One-Man Stock Company", "Pantomimist and Mimicry Artist Extraordinary". He actually is a very capable actor and impersonator, though down on his luck at the beginning of the story, from bad luck and bad judgment. |
| 225 | * Subverted by the band "Tiffanys" in the German novel ''Fleisch ist mein Gemüse''. Everyone but themselves keeps calling them "Die Tiffanys" ("The Tiffanys"). |
| 226 | * ''Literature/FlowersInTheAttic'': The Dollanganger children consistently refer to their [[BigBad grandmother]] as "the grandmother." |
| 227 | * Creator/IsaacAsimov's "Literature/TheMule": The Mule (although his "the" is usually only capitalized at the start of a sentence). None of the characters ever call him simply "Mule", making it clear that it's a [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname nickname, not an actual name]]. |
| 228 | * The Cadpig from ''Literature/TheHundredAndOneDalmatians''. She's mostly referred to as just "Cadpig" in the sequel, ''The Starlight Barking''. She's still a LittleMissSnarker, though. |
| 229 | * In Paul Robinson's ''Literature/InstrumentOfGod'' the people in that world are all dead, and live in different "countries" based on the language they can think in, the English Section, the Spanish Section, the French Section, etc. The means to travel between them is a road named "The". The full name of the travel path is "The Road". |
| 230 | * ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'': |
| 231 | ** While plotting to betray Frodo and get his hand on the Ring, Gollum briefly fantasises about being known as ''The'' Gollum. Sauron is also called "The Lord of the Rings". |
| 232 | ** When the wizard Radagast mentioned to Gandalf that he's heard of some place called "Shire", Gandalf corrects him, "''The'' Shire". This even though in the Common Speech (Westron), which all the characters spoke, the Shire was simply named Sûza, without an article. According to ''The Peoples of Middle-earth'', the Hobbits actually refer to their home country as ''Sûzat'' (with a final t), which translates into "the/this Shire", as opposed to ''Sûza'', which is just "shire". |
| 233 | * In the ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'', when people refer to Errastas as an Elder God they usually speak of The Errant. The Korelri also know him as [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast The Great Deceiver]]. |
| 234 | * Literature/{{Matilda}}'s SadistTeacher, The Trunchbull. |
| 235 | * In Patrick Rothfuss' ''Literature/TheNameOfTheWind'', the main character Kvothe encounters a man who calls himself The Chronicler to which Kvothe replies, "I asked for your name, not your profession." When Chronicler does give his full name and identity, Kvothe then replies, "Oh. So you are ''the'' Chronicler." |
| 236 | * A foreign variation is TheDiva Carlotta in ‘’Literature/ThePhantomOfTheOpera’’ being frequently referred to as La Carlotta, ‘la’ being a Spanish, feminine ‘the’. This was not unheard of for particularly celebrated opera divas in real life, including Carlotta’s inspiration Adelina Patti (La Patti). As Christine’s star begins to rise, she is occasionally referred to by the in-universe press as La Daaè, Christine being presumably too common a name to be given the ‘the’ treatment. |
| 237 | ** "Daaè" was Christine's father's surname and he was a violinist. They're likely doing it to both show she is the child of the well-known musician (in the 2004 movie, two characters recognise her by her surname even before she's known herself) and to also show that she has outclassed him as a musician herself |
| 238 | * Creator/RichardAdams' ''Literature/ThePlagueDogs'' has The Tod. The concept of names is alien to him as a wild animal, and The Tod (fox) is simply what he is. |
| 239 | * The ''Ruby's Song'' trilogy has a character called The Jackman. It is not clear why he's called this. |
| 240 | * In ''Literature/{{Sharpe}}'', partisan leaders (following the RealLife examples below) give themselves titles such as "El Matarife" ([[TheButcher The Slaughterman]]). {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in one instance, where Sharpe's teenage sidekick wants to be a partisan leader when he grows up, and has already chosen his title. |
| 241 | * According to Watson in "A Scandal in Bohemia", Irene Adler is always "The Woman", never "a woman", to Literature/SherlockHolmes. This becomes an important point of contention in the fandom, since in "The Five Orange Pips" Holmes makes reference to being fooled by "a woman", and fans have debated whether he is referring to Adler. |
| 242 | * ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': |
| 243 | ** Many nicknames that can stand alone begin with "The", such as the Imp, the Mountain That Rides, the Sword of the Morning, the Mad King, the Kingslayer, and the Red Viper. Whether the nicknames are flattering or embarrassing is a mixed bag. |
| 244 | ** The mountain clans in the North don't really consider themselves as nobility, even though Winterfell does. They prefer to be addressed as The Norrey, The Flint, etc. instead of Lord Norrey and Lord Flint. They (and many in the North) refer to Lord Stark as "The Stark" or "The Stark in Winterfell" or, in special cases, simply by their first name, such as 'The Ned' for Eddard Stark. |
| 245 | * Several of the central characters in Terry Mancour's ''Literature/TheSpellmongerSeries'' become this as the series progresses. |
| 246 | ** Even after the protagonist Minalan becomes an ennobled magelord, he is still known as "The Spellmonger". |
| 247 | ** The knight Sire Cei becomes known as "The Dragonslayer" after he kills a dragon. |
| 248 | ** Minalan's apprentice Dara becomes "The Hawkmaiden" due to her hawk familiar. |
| 249 | * In Creator/WilliamGibson's ''Literature/SprawlTrilogy'', The Finn. |
| 250 | * From ''Literature/StarTrekVanguard'', each of the [[FantasticCasteSystem elite ''Serrataal'']] among the [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Shedai]]; e.g. The Maker, The Wanderer, The Myrmidon, The Apostate. |
| 251 | * ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'': Lopen mentions that his family members often call him ''the'' Lopen, because no one has ever heard of anyone else with that name. In his own narration, he occasionally uses it for himself as well. |
| 252 | * In Creator/PeterSBeagle's ''Literature/{{Tamsin}}'' there is The Billy Blind. Not ''a'' Billy Blind, but ''The'' Billy Blind. |
| 253 | * Creator/AnneMcCaffrey's ''Literature/TowerAndTheHive'' series has the Rowan. So named because she was found in the ruins of The Rowan Mining Company and with no known name, was referred to as "the Rowan child", and eventually she came to think it was her name. |
| 254 | * In the ''Literature/{{Tunnels}}'' series, due to the Styx language being a StarfishLanguage bordering on BlackSpeech, most Styx are known to outsiders by their nicknames, usually including a "The". Examples include [[BigBad The Old Styx]], The Crawfly, and [[CreepyTwins the Rebecca Twins]]. |
| 255 | * ''{{Literature/Puckoon}}'' by Creator/SpikeMilligan has as its protagonist Dan Milligan, who the narrator frequently refers to as "''the'' Milligan":- |
| 256 | --> ''Farther along, from an overhanging branch, a pure-blooded Irish crow watched the Milligan approach. It also watched him hit the pothole, leave the bike, strike the ground, clutch the shin, scream the agony, swear the word. ‘Caw!’ said the crow. ‘Balls!’ said the Milligan.'' |
| 257 | * ''Literature/{{Uprooted}}'': Zig-zagged with wizards. Non-wizards use their names as titles in this manner ("The Dragon", "The Sword", "The Splendid"), while fellow wizards use their direct translations in the LanguageOfMagic like normal names ("Sarkan", "Alosha", "Ragostok"). |
| 258 | * In ''Literature/VenissUnderground'', the Gollux insists on calling itself ''the'' Gollux, because it is the only one of its kind that Quin made. |
| 259 | * The TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 Literature/NightLords saga includes the Exalted, a chaos space marine/[[TheChessmaster tzeentchian daemon]] [[DemonicPossession gestalt]]. For bonus alienation factor, [[ItIsDehumanizing it is only ever referred to as an "it"]]. Calling it by the host's birth name of Vandred is a major BerserkButton. |
| 260 | * In ''Literature/WatershipDown'', the grand old leader of the (doomed) old warren is named "Threarah" ("Lord Rowan-Tree"), but the rabbits invariably call him "The Threarah" though nobody can really say why — the narrator theorizes that it might be "because there happened to be only one ''threar'', or rowan, near the warren, from which he took his name." |
| 261 | * In the Chris Crutcher novel ''Whale Talk'', TJ's real name is The Tao Jones. His teacher doesn't believe at first that his first name is [[HisNameReallyIsBarkeep actually The.]] His biological mother gave him his first and middle names. |
| 262 | * ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'': A few people insist on their codenames starting with a "The". |
| 263 | ** Larry Damone's codename at [[SuperheroSchool Whateley Academy]] is 'The Man Called Vengeance'. You have to say the whole thing. Really. |
| 264 | ** Bladedancer's new roommate is ''The Crimson Comet!!!'', complete with definite article and punctuation, apparently. |
| 265 | * Inverted with ''Literature/WingsOfFire'', Darkstalker becomes a legendary monster after his disappearance, used to frighten [=IceWing=] and [=NightWing=] dragonets into behaving, and he is referred to as The Darkstalker. This is inaccurate, obviously, and when he returns he finds it embarrassing and asks them to stop. |
| 266 | * According to ''TabletopGame/TrivialPursuit'', Franchise/WinnieThePooh's middle name is "The".[[note]]Or "ther" according to Christopher Robin.[[/note]] However, it's occasionally implied that his real name is Edward Bear, and Winnie-the-Pooh is just his nickname. |
| 267 | * The Leewit from ''Literature/TheWitchesOfKarres'' by Creator/JamesHSchmitz. You do ''not'' want her to [[MakeMeWannaShout whistle]] at you, which she might if you call her just "Leewit". Then again, she [[EnfantTerrible might]] whistle at you ''anyway''. As it turns out, the Leewit was named according to a tradition restricting the name to one living person, and that the name is a descriptive word. It ''then'' turns out that the Leewit is the originator of this tradition, and that the word 'Leewit'' means "[[ShapedLikeItself like the Leewit]]". |
| 268 | * ''Literature/TheWitchlands'': The Rook is a mysterious supernatural bird who will only respond when addressed as "''The'' Rook". He gets annoyed with people who leave out the "The". |
| 269 | * In "Literature/AWitchShallBeBorn", Constantius also goes by "the Falcon". He doesn't insist on the "the", though. |
| 270 | * ''Literature/{{Worm}}'' has The Simurgh, the third [[{{Kaiju}} End]][[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin bringer]]. |
| 271 | ** Also, The Siberian, a superpowered cannibalistic serial killer. |
| 272 | * The Brazilian novel ''Literature/TheYellowBag'' has the Umbrella. Notably, the story uses the article "a" instead of the grammatically correct "o" to denote that she is female. |
| 273 | * ''Literature/{{Zeroes}}'' has a drug dealer named Craig, who insists on referring to himself as "the Craig". The other characters respond with varying degrees of annoyance and incredulity. |
| 274 | * El {{Franchise/Zorro}}. We don't call him "El", though. |
| 275 | * The Macquern in ''Literature/ZuleikaDobson'' is always referred to as, well, The Macquern -- except by Zuleika, who insists on calling him Mr. Macquern instead. If he was the head of a Scottish clan, then "The Macquern" would be his official title, so it's possible that Zuleika was deliberately yanking his chain by calling him plain "Mr." -- any man in his clan would be "Mr. Macquern", but only one could claim to be ''The'' Macquern. |
| 276 | [[/folder]] |
| 277 | |
| 278 | [[folder:The Live-Action TV]] |
| 279 | !!!'''In General:''' |
| 280 | * Some shows have this with [[IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming episode names]], such as ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'', and ''Series/{{Friends}}''. In ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'' in particular, they had a friend called "The Drake". |
| 281 | !!!'''By Series:''' |
| 282 | * ''Series/AdamAdamantLives'': Adam's archnemesis is The Face. |
| 283 | * The overly cocky original quarterback of the Bulldogs in ''Series/BellaAndTheBulldogs'' refers to himself as "the Troy". |
| 284 | * Invoked by ''Magazine/TVGuide'' with a short-lived 1970s game show called ''Series/TheBetterSex''. ''TV Guide'' normally omits "The" from titles beginning with that word, but they realized that people might balk at seeing "Better Sex" in the listings. |
| 285 | * In one sketch on ''Series/TheBozoShow'', played straight when Bozo T. Clown and Cooky T. Cook both identify their middle names as "The." Averted with Wizzo T. Wizard, who says his middle name is "Walter" (or "Twalter"). |
| 286 | * ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': |
| 287 | ** A demon mistakenly referred to as "The Gnarl" is [[TheTheTitleConfusion actually just named Gnarl.]] |
| 288 | ** The Three ("Angel") |
| 289 | ** The Judge. |
| 290 | ** The First Evil. |
| 291 | ** Not to mention The Slayer. Though starting with the second season, there were actually two or more Slayers due to supernatural LoopholeAbuse). With the exception of the third season and the latter part of the seventh season, any Slayers other than Buffy were usually PutOnABus somewhere. |
| 292 | * ''Series/{{Capadocia}}'' takes place in a prison by the same name. Any inmate who is known by her nickname has a ''La '' in front of it. Examples: La Pelona (the bald one), La Saiko (the Spanish phonetic spelling of the word "psycho"), etc. |
| 293 | * Most of the Creator/{{CBBC}} presenting puppets have this, with their names actually being Edd ''The'' Duck, Gordon ''T.'' Gopher, and Oucho ''T.'' Cactus. However, since Hacker T Dog and Dodge T Dog's mother is referred to as "Mrs T Dog", it's possible that their T doesn't stand for "the" at all, it's just a part of their surname. Similarly, in TheChristmasAnnual, an interview with Gordon has him specifically state the T doesn't stand for "The" ... although he refuses to say [[EmbarrassingMiddleName what it stands for]]. |
| 294 | * From ''Series/Charmed1998'', The Source, The Triad, The Elders, The Seer. |
| 295 | * Series/{{Chespirito}} named many of his characters like this. In addition to "El Chanfle", we also have [[Series/ElChavoDelOcho El Chavo (literally, "The Boy"), La Chilindrina, La Popis]], El Chompiras, El Peterete, El Botija[[note]]A preexisting character who later became El Peterete's SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute[[/note]] (often called "Boti" for short), and La Chimoltrufia (who later became El Botija's wife). There's also [[Series/ElChapulinColorado El Chapulín]] and several members of his RoguesGallery: El Cuajinais, El Tripaseca, el Rascabuches, among others. |
| 296 | * Inverted with Creator/StephenColbert's RunningGag about the newspaper ''USA Today''. It started with the character mistakenly referring to it as ''The USA Today''. Now he makes a game out of getting as many "the"s and "today"s into the sentence as possible. Colbert has since [[MemeticMutation spread]] the gag to other jokes, especially to ([[TechnologyMarchesOn at the time]]) new and trending technologies, such as "The Twitter" or "The Facebook". |
| 297 | * In the ''Series/CornerGas'' episode "Tax Man", '''''a''''' tax man repeatedly demands to be not referred to with a "the". |
| 298 | -->"I'm '''''a''''' tax man, not '''''the''''' tax man. Saying ''''''the''''' tax man is just a ''little'' dehumanizing!" |
| 299 | * During the writer's strike, Creator/JonStewart's show was just ''A'' Daily Show. When the writers returned, they once again became ''Series/{{The|DailyShow}}'' [[Series/TheDailyShow Daily Show]]. |
| 300 | -->'''Jon Stewart:''' ''Oh, definite article, how I've missed you!'' |
| 301 | * ''Series/DeadLikeMe'': The Ted would like a word. And everyone else would like him to stop. |
| 302 | * ''Series/DeadRingers''' version of [[Series/DoctorWho the Fourth Doctor]] gave his first name as "The". |
| 303 | * ''Series/DoctorWho'': |
| 304 | ** ''The Doctor''. Referred to in-universe: |
| 305 | --->''[[Creator/TomBaker "You may be a doctor, but I'm THE Doctor. The definite article, you might say."]]'' |
| 306 | ** And {{the Master}}. |
| 307 | ** Also the Meddling Monk, the Valeyard, the Rani ... it seems renegade Time Lords like this trope. |
| 308 | ** Also the Corsair, who has never appeared onscreen but was mentioned in passing in the episode [[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E4TheDoctorsWife "The Doctor's Wife"]]. |
| 309 | ** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E7TheLongGame "The Long Game"]] has the Editor (human) and his boss the Mighty Jagrafess of the Holy Hadrojassic Maxarodenfoe (not so much). |
| 310 | ** In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E8SilenceInTheLibrary "Silence in the Library"]], the Doctor explains that the titular location is just ''the'' Library. |
| 311 | --->"So big it doesn't need a name, just a great big ''the''." |
| 312 | ** In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E17E18TheEndOfTime "The End of Time"]] we meet more Time Lords; the only names we get are [[MadOracle "The Visionary"]], "The Partisan", and a few others known only by titles and it's never made clear if they are names or descriptors. The only one we get a name for is "The Narrator", better known as [[BigBad Lord President Rassilon]]. |
| 313 | ** In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E12HellBent "Hell Bent"]], all the Gallifreyan characters are again credited in this way: "The General", "The Woman" and so on. Even "The President", who's once again only too happy to tell anyone prepared to listen that his name is Rassilon. |
| 314 | ** [[Recap/DoctorWho2016CSTheReturnOfDoctorMysterio "The Return of Doctor Mysterio"]]: Grant Gordon performs superheroics as "the Ghost". |
| 315 | * Mocked on ''Series/TheDrewCareyShow'' where Kate is dating a wrestler called The Disciplinarian (played by Wrestling/TripleH), who the gang has hired to promote their beer during his wrestler promos. |
| 316 | -->Are you going to believe a guy whose first name is "The?" |
| 317 | * The short-lived 1967 western ''Dundee and The Culhane''. Yes, the co-title character called himself The Culhane. |
| 318 | * In the ''Series/EerieIndiana'' episode "Zombies in P.J.s", convenience store owner Mr. Radford makes a DealWithTheDevil with a man calling himself "The Donald". Well, this guy might not be the ''actual'' devil because he apparently had a boss, but said boss probably was. So... a DealWithTheDevil made with UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump?? |
| 319 | * Averted in ''Series/{{Firefly}}''. An Alliance officer in the episode "Safe" calls ''Serenity'' "the ''Serenity''". Inara is quick to correct him, saying that it's just ''Serenity''. This is absolute TruthInTelevision, at least in the English-speaking west: ship names are supposed to be treated like a person's name. |
| 320 | * ''Series/GameOfThrones'': The Greatjon. |
| 321 | * Arthur Fonzarelli was referred to as "The Fonz" on ''Series/HappyDays''. In conversation people called him, Fonzie, or Fonz. |
| 322 | * Mike "The Situation" in ''Series/JerseyShore''. |
| 323 | * ''Series/KamenRiderKabuto'' has Kamen Rider [=TheBee=]. Not a gag, an ego thing, or a title that takes the place of a name like the ''Series/DoctorWho'' examples; it's just what he's called, perhaps because Kamen Rider Bee sounds kinda lame. |
| 324 | * High-ranking Fae figures in ''Series/LostGirl'' have titles -- not names -- like this, such as The Ash and The Morrigan. |
| 325 | * In the ''Series/{{Monk}}'' episode "Mr. Monk Takes His Medicine", {{jerkass}} [[FlowersForAlgernonSyndrome medicated]] Monk demands to be called "The Monk". |
| 326 | * On ''Series/TheMuppetShow'', Lew Zeeland typically addressed Kermit as "Mr. The Frog". |
| 327 | ** Elsewhere, on both ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' and ''[[Series/SesameStreet The Sesame Street]]'', Kermit signs all his formal communications as "Kermit '''T.''' Frog"; as with Winnie '''The''' Pooh, "The" is actually his middle name. |
| 328 | ** In the Season 1 finale of ''Series/TheMuppetShow'', the special guest star was Swiss pantomime trio Mummenschanz. Kermit referred to them erroneously as "''the'' Mummenschanz" throughout the episode; as attention was never called to this, it was presumably a genuine error on Creator/JimHenson's part which no one bothered to correct. |
| 329 | * ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' combines this with MysteriousMiddleInitial; yes, Crow T. Robot's middle initial stands for "The". |
| 330 | * ''Series/TheOA'': The main character, previously called Nina and then Prairie, returns after a traumatic, seven-year disappearance calling herself "the OA". It's left a mystery through most of the series as to what "the OA" signifies. |
| 331 | * The Cat on ''Series/RedDwarf''. Until the events of ''The Promised Land'', he was the only surviving member of the ''Felis sapiens'' species the rest of the crew knew. He also either doesn't seem to have any other name or is so [[{{Narcissist}} vain]] that he sees himself as the model ''Felis sapiens''. |
| 332 | * ''The'' Bruce Dickinson from the ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' More Cowbell sketch. [[DontExplainTheJoke Possibly to say]] "The Music/IronMaiden guy has nothing on me!" |
| 333 | ** Comedy news correspondent (''Series/SaturdayNightLive'', ''Series/TheDailyShow'') A. Whitney Brown would say he hopes to one day be "THE Whitney Brown". |
| 334 | * Played straight, and subverted in ''Series/{{Scrubs}}''. First there's ''The Todd''. Then there's the janitor, who, although never referred to by name, is not called ''the'' janitor. He's called Janitor, like it's his name. (Taking it so far that when he impersonates a doctor (which happens more than any of us would do well to dwell on), he calls himself ''Dr. Jan Itor''.) |
| 335 | * From ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'': "Love The Drake!" |
| 336 | * In ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', [[Characters/SupermanLoisLane Lois Lane]] subverts this when operating as "Stiletto". |
| 337 | -->'''Lois:''' ''[annoyed]'' It's just "Stiletto". There's no "the". |
| 338 | * On ''Series/SnogMarryAvoid'', POD always refers to Jenny Frost as "The Frost" when addressing her. |
| 339 | * ''Franchise/StarTrek'': |
| 340 | ** Starships are frequently referred to as "the ''[[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Enterprise]]''" or "the ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Defiant]]''". Only a few rare examples are averted, such as ''[[Series/StarTrekVoyager Voyager]]'' and ''[[Series/StarTrekEnterprise Enterprise]]'' NX-01. Then ''Series/StarTrekPicard'' gives us ''La Sirena'', which means "The Mermaid". |
| 341 | ** In the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS3E4WhoWatchesTheWatchers Who Watches the Watchers]]", Picard is referred to as "The Picard". |
| 342 | --->''"I believe I have seen the Overseer. He is called 'The Picard'."'' |
| 343 | ** The Prophets in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' exclusively refer to Sisko as "The Sisko", which becomes kind of hilarious when you start thinking about his several no-nonsense kick-ass actions throughout the series. They also call Grand Nagus Zek "The Zek" in "[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS03E16ProphetMotive Prophet Motive]]", but it's the only time they mention him in the entire series, so it goes mostly unnoticed. |
| 344 | * In ''Series/StrangerThings'', the heroes name the monstrous antagonist after the classic ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' villain Demogorgon, whom they consistently refer to as ''the'' Demogorgon. Whether this error is on the writers or the characters is unclear. |
| 345 | * In Season 10, ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' finally got on this boat [[spoiler: introducing a primordial monster known simply as "The Darkness". She eventually gets the name Amara when she's born into a human baby's body, but before that, she was just "The Darkness", even to Death, who is as old as God]]. |
| 346 | * In one episode of ''Series/TheTick2001'', Tick is applying for a super hero license. When asked for his name, he says "Well, that would be The Tick." When the interviewer says she means his ''real'' name, he replies "Oh, well, that would be...The Tick." |
| 347 | * ''Series/TimAndEricAwesomeShowGreatJob'': "Starring Creator/{{LeVar Burton}} from ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration 'The Star Trek']]''." |
| 348 | * ''Series/{{Top Gear|UK}}'' does the same 'out-of-touch' joke with website names, and also inverts it: |
| 349 | -->'''Jeremy Clarkson:''' If you are lucky enough to own an internet... |
| 350 | ** The Stig, the mysterious racing driver whose face is never shown, although they sometimes just refer to him as "Stig" and he doesn't seem to mind. |
| 351 | *** [[RunningGag Some say]] that his first name really is "The". (Which would make sense, as they call each other "Clarkson" and "Hammond" all the time.) |
| 352 | * ''Series/WandaVision'': On the deed for the lot Vision bought in Westview with the intent of building a house and settling down with Wanda, his name is listed as "The Vision". Hayward also constantly refers to him as "The Vision" as a means of dehumanizing him, since to him, Vision's not a person but an expensive sentient weapon to use for his agenda. |
| 353 | * In the UK at least, ''Series/TheWeakestLink'' became just ''Weakest Link'' after about a year on air. For some reason, although they removed the definite article from the show's logo, the chain link it was previously attached to remained, even though it was now redundant. |
| 354 | * William "[[ThirdPersonPerson The Bunk]]" Moreland from ''Series/TheWire''. |
| 355 | * In ''Series/{{Workaholics}}'', Ders (Anders Holmvik) is usually just called Ders. But when he reaches a certain level of drunkness, he's called The Ders-and this a bad thing. According to Blake, he "fucked a koi fish in the mouth outside a P.F. Changs until it died". Adam mentions the last time they partied with The Ders we got them on-stage at a Seven Mary Three concert. Blake remembers this differently, saying he "bumrushed the stage, head-butted a female security guard, and dedicated a song to his dad." Blake spends Ders' 25th birthday trying to get him to slow down instead of becoming the Ders-which he does anyway, with a battle yell. He promptly snaps out of him when a guy punches him the face, though. |
| 356 | * One of the commentators on ''Series/WorldsDumbest'' is The Greg Wilson. |
| 357 | ** And one of the idiots featured on the show (twice!) calls himself "The Horse". |
| 358 | --->"I'M THE FUCKING HORSE!" |
| 359 | [[/folder]] |
| 360 | |
| 361 | [[folder:The Music]] |
| 362 | * Music/{{U2}}'s The Edge--but everyone calls him ''The'' Edge anyway. |
| 363 | * Music/{{Eels}} ([[RevolvingDoorBand currently]]) have a band member nicknamed [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Lyster "The Chet"]]. |
| 364 | * Zig-zagged by Music/RedHotChiliPeppers. Their official band name was known as "The" Red Hot Chili Peppers up to about 1989; their fourth album ''Mother's Milk'' was the first to refer to the band as ''Red Hot Chili Peppers'' (without the "The") on the album cover. Despite this, the band members often slip up and call themselves "The" Red Hot Chili Peppers, since each band member is technically "a" red hot chili pepper. Yeah, it's confusing. |
| 365 | ** There's a particular promotional photograph of the band Fear that's notable for depicting a short-lived lineup of the group that included a pre-RHCP Flea: The photo is captioned with the names of the band members, and Flea is listed as ''The'' Flea. |
| 366 | * Music/TheThe pretty much subverts this trope. |
| 367 | * The/Das, meaning almost the same, as "das" is the neutrum case of "the." |
| 368 | * A band-naming riff that plays with this trope was found in a number of L.A. bands in the mid-1960s, starting with Thee Midniters, who were followed by Thee Enchantments, Thee Montclairs, Thee Atlantics, etc. The "thee" trend was revived in the 1990s, with Thee Headcoats, Thee Hypnotics, etc. |
| 369 | * In an episode of ''Series/{{KYTV}}'', a quiz host disqualifies a contestant in a "Name the Tune" contestant for identifying a song as [[Music/TheBeatles Beatles]]' "Yellow Submarine", insisting that it is ''The'' Beatles' "Yellow Submarine". Well, the Beatles themselves omitted the "The" in the covers of some of their albums ("Sgt. Peppers" and "Abbey Road", for example). |
| 370 | * Inverted with art punk band Music/YeahYeahYeahs. |
| 371 | ** Similarly, the band Music/{{Pixies}} are named just that, not ''The'' Pixies. |
| 372 | ** Also, rhythm group All Mighty Senators. Woe be on you if you call them ''The'' All Mighty Senators. |
| 373 | ** It's not ''The'' Simple Minds either, nor is it ''The'' [[Music/RodStewart Faces]] or ''The'' Music/{{Wings|Band}}. |
| 374 | ** Nor is it The Music/TalkingHeads; they even titled a live album after it: ''The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads''. Chris Frantz, ''the band's drummer'', notably gets this wrong in ''Film/StopMakingSense''. |
| 375 | --->We gotta change back into the Talking Heads! |
| 376 | ** Nor is it "the" Music/{{Eagles}} (except for the documentary ''History of the Eagles'' and the same-named reunion tour). |
| 377 | ** Nor is it "the" Editors. |
| 378 | ** Nor is it "the" Music/{{Deftones}}. |
| 379 | ** Nor is it "the" Music/{{Eurythmics}}. |
| 380 | ** Nor is it "the" Stars. |
| 381 | ** Nor is it "the" Music/{{Scorpions|Band}}. |
| 382 | ** Nor is it "the" {{Music/Gorillaz}}. |
| 383 | *** Although sometimes "the Gorillaz" is used as a catch-all term for both the (fictional) band and all its (real) contributors...which is still wrong. |
| 384 | ** Nor is it "the" Music/ArcticMonkeys. |
| 385 | ** Nor is it "the" Music/FooFighters. |
| 386 | ** Nor is it "the" Sick Puppies. |
| 387 | ** Nor it is "the" Music/{{Carpenters}}. |
| 388 | ** Nor "the" Music/CocteauTwins (they're named after a Music/SimpleMinds song which doesn't have a "The" either). |
| 389 | ** Also zigzagged by the country group that started out as Dixie Chicks, without "The". However, in 2020, they became Music/TheChicks. |
| 390 | ** Likewise "The" Real Thing, who in their heyday usually credited themselves as Real Thing - but the one single where they had a "The" became their biggest hit and SignatureSong and they couldn't shake it off after that. Since reforming they've just accepted it and call themselves The Real Thing. For real. |
| 391 | ** It's officially Music/PetShopBoys, but they don't mind if people call them "the Pet Shop Boys" and they do it sometimes themselves informally. |
| 392 | * Apparently, The Mascara Snake, who played clarinet for Captain Beefheart. |
| 393 | * Toward the end of TheSixties, it seems like British record companies and music publications insisted that all bands had to start their name with "The" even if the name was clearly in singular form. Music/PinkFloyd was called The Pink Floyd in their early days (this survived a bit, with band members and fans sometimes calling affectionately calling the band "The Floyd" in later years). Music/SoftMachine was The Soft Machine for their first two albums. Music/StatusQuo began as The Status Quo. This hung on into the first part of TheSeventies, with Music/{{Sweet}} sometimes labeled as The Sweet on early releases. |
| 394 | * According to Liam Howlett, it has always been Music/TheProdigy, and the word the was only removed to fit within the displayed logo. |
| 395 | * Ardent fans of The Tragically Hip ''will'' correct you, if you either drop "The" from the band's name or don't capitalize it. |
| 396 | * "The" [[Music/TheSmashingPumpkins Smashing Pumpkins]] seemed to go back-and-forth on this on their earlier albums, but Billy Corgan says that the "The" is official. |
| 397 | ** Music/{{Melvins}} are also a bit inconsistent -- their album artwork and shirts usually render their name as just "Melvins", but on occasion it will be "''The'' Melvins". And of course when they worked with [[Music/DeadKennedys Jello Biafra]], the collaboration was billed as Jello Biafra And ''The'' Melvins, probably just because it sounded better. A slight LampshadeHanging is done on the front cover of ''A Senile Animal'', which features the text "(A) Senile Animal by (The) Melvins". |
| 398 | ** Music/ArcadeFire are similarly inconsistent. Their album covers etc generally stick to just "Arcade Fire", but the band fairly often refer to themselves as ''the'' Arcade Fire. |
| 399 | * [[http://www.insaneian.com Insane Ian’s]] wife and sometimes-collaborator is known as "The Stacey". |
| 400 | * Music/TheGreatLukeSki |
| 401 | * Apparently, the dislike of this trope (Specifically having fans calling him "Mr. The Game") is why the rapper-formerly-known-as The Game is now known as Game. |
| 402 | * For some reason, the front cover of Music/SonicYouth's ''Sister'' bills them as ''The'' Sonic Youth -- not only did they never have a "the" in their name before or since, but they're also credited as just "Sonic Youth" elsewhere in the same album artwork. |
| 403 | * Québécoise folk singer La Bolduc (where "Bolduc" was simply her last name). |
| 404 | * The Mark of Cain lead singer John Scott insists on people not omitting the definite article, or else "it sounds like Andrew of Wodonga". |
| 405 | * 1960s psychedelic group Country Joe and the Fish was headed by 'Country Joe' [=McDonald=] and Barry 'The Fish' Melton. |
| 406 | * The classic country / folk song "Wildwood Flower" is sometimes referred to as "The Wildwood Flower". |
| 407 | * Music/WuTangClan has The RZA and The GZA, although both often spell it without the article too. |
| 408 | * In the music video for "Purse First," a character addresses Creator/BobTheDragQueen by saying, "I am so sorry, Ms. The Drag Queen!" |
| 409 | [[/folder]] |
| 410 | |
| 411 | [[folder:The Mythology & The Religion]] |
| 412 | * {{God}}: |
| 413 | ** "Allah," used not just by Muslims but also Baha'is and Arabic-speaking Christians, literally just means "the God." Likewise Islam and Baha'ism traditionally list 99 other names for God, all of which follow this trope ("the Merciful," "the All-Seeing," etc.) |
| 414 | ** "The Lord," a common Judeo-Christian name for {{God}}. Often used as the translation both for "Adonai" (which literally means "lord") and the Tetragrammaton; in some Bibles, this will be written as [[AC:the Lord]] to distinguish them. |
| 415 | ** The Hebrew version is [=haShem=], which means "The Name," because Judaism sees the Tetragrammaton as too holy to be used except in very specific contexts that aren't even possible today. |
| 416 | * Myth/CelticMythology gives us "the Dagda" and "the Morrigan," usually translated as "[[NamesToTrustImmediately the good god]]" and "[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast the phantom queen]]," respectively. |
| 417 | [[/folder]] |
| 418 | |
| 419 | [[folder:The Pro Wrestling]] |
| 420 | * Most {{Legacy|Character}} gimmicks in pro wrestling have some sort of numerical clue, such as Mr Wrestling II, The Grappler 2000, Novia Del Santo, El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr, Mini Chessman, but The Masked Marvel is usually an exception. While there have been variants like Red Masked Marvel the number of men just going with "The Masked Marvel" is pushing 30 at the least. |
| 421 | * A great many luchadores' names begin with "El," which is Spanish for "The." (Gran Hamada became ''El'' Gran Hamada in Wrestling/{{CMLL}}, for instance). This sometimes leads to instances of luchadores in fiction being referred to by others as just "El." |
| 422 | * Wrestling/TheIronSheik almost always referred to people as "the X". The Wrestling/HulkHogan, The Chris Brown, even The Jesus at one point. |
| 423 | * Wrestling/BretHart had an interesting VerbalTic -- he'd put "The" in front of names that didn't require one. "The Wrestling/SummerSlam", "The Wrestling/WrestleMania"... |
| 424 | * [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock's]] name was born from this, as his previous ring name was Rocky Maivia. |
| 425 | * Wrestling/{{WWE}}, later [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA]] and [[Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling AEW]] commentator Wrestling/{{Tazz}} was often jokingly referred to as "The Tazz", after a gaffe by Wrestling/MikeAdamle. |
| 426 | -->'''Tazz:''' I have nightmares when I hear "The Tazz." |
| 427 | * WWE's "[[Wrestling/LondonAndKendrick The Brian Kendrick]]". And he doesn't let you forget it. (started in mockery of the above Adamle gaffe.) |
| 428 | * The Austin Starr, who apparently wasn't cool enough as Wrestling/AustinAries. |
| 429 | * Wrestling/TheMiz. [[MythologyGag Initially]] "The Miz" was explained as the "{{real|itytv}}" person that exists in everyone but at some point this was discarded, [[XPacHeat mainly because fans weren't biting]]; later it appeared to be a symptom of his ego. Behind the scenes, he's a fan of The Rock. |
| 430 | * The Big Show. Although later inverted, as WWE has been calling him simply "Wrestling/BigShow". And since WWE has the trademark, he now goes by his real name of Paul Wight in AEW. |
| 431 | * Wrestling/{{Ryback}} is often referred to backstage, by insiders, and [[SmartMark smarks]] as "The Ryback", popularized by interviews of [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]]. |
| 432 | * Wrestling/{{Rhyno}} doesn't have a "The" in front of his name, but Wrestling/{{Edge|Wrestler}} & Wrestling/{{Christian}} sometimes put one in front of his name. |
| 433 | -->'''Edge:''' Christian? Get the Rhyno! |
| 434 | * Similarly to [[Anime/YuGiOhGX Manjyome]] above, Wrestling/KazuchikaOkada tends to remind fans "That's ''Mr.'' Okada to you," if they chant "Okada" at him. |
| 435 | * Santana Garrett and Gabi Castrovinci can't agree on if their TagTeam is "Culture Shock" or "''The'' Culture Shock". SHINE has the title graphic change depending on which of them is speaking. |
| 436 | * The Priscilla Kelly is less verbal as it is literally spelling, or at least initializing "TPK". "The" [[InsultBackfire was a joke at the expense]] of another reality television participant entering pro wrestling. |
| 437 | * René Duprée, [[Wrestling/RobConway Robert Conway]], and Sylvain Grenier were a part of the stable "''Wrestling/{{La|Resistancetagteam}}'' [[Wrestling/LaResistancetagteam Resistance]]". |
| 438 | * It's common for some people, especially non-fans or casual fans, to refer to any wrestling promotion with a "the" at the beginning. This makes some sense when talking about "the NWA" (Wrestling/NationalWrestlingAlliance) "the WWF" (World Wrestling Federation) or "the AWA" (Wrestling/AmericanWrestlingAssociation), but little to none when talking about "the WWE" (World Wrestling Entertainment) or "the Wrestling/{{WCW}}" (World Championship Wrestling). |
| 439 | * Notably averted with Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling's popular {{heel}} stable Wrestling/BulletClub. Officially, it's just called "Bullet Club", not "'''the''' Bullet Club" (their original founder [[Wrestling/FergalDevitt Prince Devitt]] specifically didn't want a "the" in the group's name). This isn't strictly enforced, though: even a few of their members have casually called the group "the Bullet Club" before. |
| 440 | [[/folder]] |
| 441 | |
| 442 | [[folder:The Radio Drama]] |
| 443 | * ''Twice'' Averted in ''Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy1978''. First, in episode 7: |
| 444 | -->'''Receptionist:''' You're Zaphod Beeblebrox? ''The'' Zaphod Beeblebrox?\ |
| 445 | '''Zaphod Beeblebrox''': No, ''A'' Zaphod Beeblebrox. Haven't you heard, I come in six-packs. |
| 446 | ** And then later, on Brontytoll, upon discovering a gigantic statue of Arthur Dent: |
| 447 | --->'''Bird:''' You're Arthur Dent? ''The'' Arthur Dent?\ |
| 448 | '''Arthur Dent:''' I don't know if I'm ''The'' Arthur Dent, but ''That'' Arthur Dent is ''me''. |
| 449 | * Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? Radio/TheShadow knows. |
| 450 | * In the ''Radio/ImSorryIHaventAClue'' spinoff ''Radio/HamishAndDougal: You'll Have Had Your Tea?'' the Laird's full name is, apparently, "[=The McCoist Of McCoist=] [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment Of That Ilk]]". (See also clan chiefs below under RealLife.) |
| 451 | * In the early years of American radio, it wasn't uncommon to hear references to [[Creator/{{CBS}} "the CBS"]] or [[Creator/{{NBC}} "the NBC"]], which actually made linguistic sense as initialisms for the Columbia Broadcasting System and the National Broadcasting Company. In his closing announcement for ''Radio/TheWarOfTheWorlds1938'', Creator/OrsonWelles says that "We annihilated the world before your very ears, and utterly destroyed the CBS." |
| 452 | [[/folder]] |
| 453 | |
| 454 | [[folder:The Roleplay]] |
| 455 | * The Architect of ''Roleplay/ShadowhunterPeril''. Beware. |
| 456 | [[/folder]] |
| 457 | |
| 458 | [[folder:The Tabletop Games]] |
| 459 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Battletech}}'': Captains-General of the Free Worlds league intermittently style themselves as ''The'' Marik, as the incumbent holder of the office is the ''de facto'' head of House Marik [[note]] By the 2500s, it had been enshrined in Free Worlds Law that only a member of the Marik family could be elected Captain General.[[/note]] The "''The'' Marik" title is most closely associated with Janos Marik. |
| 460 | * ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': In the ''Spelljammer'' setting, there are regular spelljamers, flying ships that travel [[SpaceIsAnOcean the void between worlds]], and then there's ''The'' Spelljammer, a legendary city-sized LivingShip. |
| 461 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'': Abyssal Exalts, traditionally 'sacrificing' their names and replacing them with titles, sometimes begin their new titles with The. |
| 462 | ** Being Exalts embodying death, destruction and decay, they also tend to be names you run away from. Given that titles have a tendency to be flowery, poetic, and overwrought, they make you wonder if they might be names someone ran away with... or at least got carried away with. None the less, 'the' seems used as a division between Name and Title in most of the game's parlance. |
| 463 | ** The Sea That Marched Against the Flame, The Shadow of All Things e. g. the Ebon Dragon -- Primordials definitely qualify too. Being personification of cosmic principle usually allows you that. Though they can look more like titles, additional to actual names (TSTMA is also named Kimbery), these names still work in incantations involving said Primordials. |
| 464 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}'' features The Lady of Pain. She is never directly addressed as "The Lady" or "Lady of Pain," because she never acknowledges anyone who speaks to her directly, and she neither brooks disrespect nor accepts worship. People will discuss her in private by various euphemisms, but if you know what's good for you, don't cross The Lady of Pain. |
| 465 | [[/folder]] |
| 466 | |
| 467 | [[folder:The Tropes]] |
| 468 | * TheAce |
| 469 | ** TheChampion |
| 470 | * TheAdjectivalSuperhero |
| 471 | ** TheAdjectivalMan |
| 472 | * TheAggressiveDrugDealer |
| 473 | * TheAhnold |
| 474 | * TheAlcatraz |
| 475 | * TheAlcoholic |
| 476 | * TheAlibi |
| 477 | * TheAllAmericanBoy |
| 478 | * TheAllegedBoss |
| 479 | * TheAllegedCar |
| 480 | * TheAllegedComputer |
| 481 | * TheAllegedExpert |
| 482 | * TheAllegedSteed |
| 483 | * TheAllSolvingHammer |
| 484 | * TheAloner |
| 485 | * TheAntiChrist |
| 486 | * TheAnticipator |
| 487 | * TheAntiNihilist |
| 488 | * TheApprentice |
| 489 | * TheAssimilator |
| 490 | * TheAtoner |
| 491 | * TheBabyTrap |
| 492 | * TheBait |
| 493 | * TheBard |
| 494 | * TheBaroness |
| 495 | * TheBattlestar |
| 496 | * TheBear |
| 497 | * TheBeard |
| 498 | * TheBeautifulElite |
| 499 | * TheBGrade |
| 500 | * TheBigBadWolf |
| 501 | * TheBigBoard |
| 502 | * TheBigDamnKiss |
| 503 | * TheBigGuy |
| 504 | * TheBlacksmith |
| 505 | * TheBluebeard |
| 506 | * TheBoxingEpisode |
| 507 | * TheBreakfastPlot |
| 508 | * TheBrideWithAPast |
| 509 | * TheBrute |
| 510 | * TheBully |
| 511 | * TheButcher |
| 512 | * TheCabinBoy |
| 513 | * TheCakeIsALie |
| 514 | * TheCaligula |
| 515 | * TheCape |
| 516 | * TheCaptain |
| 517 | * TheCaptivityNarrative |
| 518 | * TheCaretaker |
| 519 | * TheCartel |
| 520 | * TheCasanova |
| 521 | * TheCassandra |
| 522 | * TheCavalry |
| 523 | * TheChainOfHarm |
| 524 | * TheChainsOfCommanding |
| 525 | * TheChanteuse |
| 526 | * TheCharmer |
| 527 | * TheChessmaster |
| 528 | * TheChewToy |
| 529 | * TheChiefsDaughter |
| 530 | * TheChosenOne |
| 531 | ** TheChooserOfTheOne |
| 532 | ** TheChosenMany |
| 533 | ** TheChosenPeople |
| 534 | ** TheChosenZero |
| 535 | ** ThePoorlyChosenOne |
| 536 | ** TheUnchosenOne |
| 537 | * TheCoconutEffect |
| 538 | * TheCollector |
| 539 | * TheComicallySerious |
| 540 | * TheCommissionerGordon |
| 541 | * TheCon |
| 542 | * TheConfidant |
| 543 | * TheConqueror |
| 544 | * TheConscience |
| 545 | * TheConsigliere |
| 546 | * TheConspiracy |
| 547 | * TheConvenientStoreNextDoor |
| 548 | * TheCorrupter |
| 549 | * TheCorruptible |
| 550 | * TheCouch |
| 551 | * TheCoup |
| 552 | * TheCracker |
| 553 | * TheCutie |
| 554 | * TheCynic |
| 555 | * TheDanza |
| 556 | * TheDarkSide |
| 557 | * TheDayOfReckoning |
| 558 | * TheDiaperChange |
| 559 | * TheDilbertPrinciple |
| 560 | * TheDitherer |
| 561 | * TheDitz |
| 562 | ** TheFool |
| 563 | * TheDividual |
| 564 | * TheDon |
| 565 | * TheDragAlong |
| 566 | * TheDragon |
| 567 | ** TheStarscream |
| 568 | * TheDreaded |
| 569 | * TheDreadedDreadnought |
| 570 | * TheDreadedPretendTeaParty |
| 571 | * TheDrifter |
| 572 | * TheDrunkenSailor |
| 573 | * TheDulcineaEffect |
| 574 | * TheDutifulSon |
| 575 | * TheEeyore |
| 576 | * TheEmpath |
| 577 | * TheEmpire |
| 578 | ** TheEmperor |
| 579 | * TheEngineer |
| 580 | * TheEpic |
| 581 | * TheEveryman |
| 582 | * TheEvilPrince |
| 583 | * TheEvilsOfFreeWill |
| 584 | * TheFace |
| 585 | * TheFaceless |
| 586 | ** TheBlank |
| 587 | * TheFairFolk |
| 588 | * TheFakeCutie |
| 589 | * TheFamilyThatSlaysTogether |
| 590 | * TheFashionista |
| 591 | * TheFederation |
| 592 | * TheFettered |
| 593 | * TheFightingNarcissist |
| 594 | * TheFinalTemptation |
| 595 | * TheFlapper |
| 596 | * TheFourGods |
| 597 | * TheFriendNobodyLikes |
| 598 | * TheFriendsWhoNeverHang |
| 599 | * TheFundamentalist |
| 600 | * TheGadfly |
| 601 | * TheGambler |
| 602 | ** TheGamblingAddict |
| 603 | * TheGeneralissimo |
| 604 | * TheGenericGuy |
| 605 | * TheGhost |
| 606 | * TheGimmick |
| 607 | * TheGlassesComeOff |
| 608 | * TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry |
| 609 | * TheGoldenRule |
| 610 | * TheGoodChancellor (as well as one name for their EvilCounterpart, TheGrandVizier) |
| 611 | ** TheCreon |
| 612 | * TheGoodKing |
| 613 | * TheGoodKingdom |
| 614 | * TheGoomba |
| 615 | * TheGreatFlood |
| 616 | * TheGreatRepair |
| 617 | * TheGrinch |
| 618 | ** TheAntiGrinch |
| 619 | * TheGroup |
| 620 | * TheGrovel |
| 621 | * TheGruntingOrgasm |
| 622 | * TheGunslinger |
| 623 | ** TheGunfighterWannabe |
| 624 | * TheHeart |
| 625 | * TheHeartless |
| 626 | * TheHeavy |
| 627 | * TheHecateSisters |
| 628 | * TheHedonist |
| 629 | * TheHermit |
| 630 | * TheHero |
| 631 | * TheHighQueen |
| 632 | * TheHollywoodFormula |
| 633 | * TheHomewardJourney |
| 634 | * TheHorde |
| 635 | * TheHorseshoeEffect |
| 636 | * TheHyena |
| 637 | * TheIdolsBlessing |
| 638 | * TheIgor |
| 639 | * TheImmodestOrgasm |
| 640 | * TheImmune |
| 641 | * TheImp |
| 642 | * TheInformant |
| 643 | * TheIngenue |
| 644 | * TheInspectorIsComing |
| 645 | * TheJailBaitWait |
| 646 | * TheJailer |
| 647 | * TheJeeves |
| 648 | * TheJinx |
| 649 | * TheKetchupTest |
| 650 | * TheKillerInMe |
| 651 | * TheKindnessOfStrangers |
| 652 | * TheKirk |
| 653 | * TheKlutz |
| 654 | * TheLabRat |
| 655 | * TheLadette |
| 656 | * TheLadysFavour |
| 657 | * TheLancer |
| 658 | ** TheBrigadier |
| 659 | * TheLastDJ |
| 660 | * TheLastStraw |
| 661 | * TheLeader |
| 662 | * TheLegionsOfHell |
| 663 | * TheLittleShopThatWasntThereYesterday |
| 664 | * TheLoad |
| 665 | ** TheMillstone |
| 666 | * TheMadHatter |
| 667 | * TheMagazineRule |
| 668 | * TheMagicGoesAway |
| 669 | * TheMagicTouch |
| 670 | * TheMagnificent |
| 671 | * TheMagnificentSevenSamurai |
| 672 | * TheMaidenNameDebate |
| 673 | * TheManBehindTheCurtain |
| 674 | * TheManBehindTheMan |
| 675 | ** TheManInFrontOfTheMan |
| 676 | * TheManTheyCouldntHang |
| 677 | * TheMasochismTango |
| 678 | * TheMaster |
| 679 | * TheMatchmaker |
| 680 | * TheMcCoy |
| 681 | * TheMedic |
| 682 | * TheMeddlingKidsAreUseless |
| 683 | * TheMenInBlack |
| 684 | * TheMentor |
| 685 | * TheMigration |
| 686 | * TheMole |
| 687 | * TheMoralSubstitute |
| 688 | * TheMunchausen |
| 689 | * TheMuse |
| 690 | * TheMusicMeister |
| 691 | * TheNapoleon |
| 692 | * TheNavigator |
| 693 | * TheNeedsOfTheMany |
| 694 | * TheNeidermeyer |
| 695 | * TheNicknamer |
| 696 | * TheNoisyStraw |
| 697 | * TheNudifier |
| 698 | * TheOathBreaker |
| 699 | * TheObiWannabe |
| 700 | * TheObstructiveLoveInterest |
| 701 | * TheOldConvict |
| 702 | * TheOldNorthWind |
| 703 | * TheOmnipotent |
| 704 | * TheOmniscient |
| 705 | * TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness |
| 706 | * TheOneGuy |
| 707 | * TheOneWhoMadeItOut |
| 708 | * TheOnlyOne |
| 709 | ** TheOnlyBeliever |
| 710 | ** TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou |
| 711 | * TheOphelia |
| 712 | * TheParagon |
| 713 | * TheParanoiac |
| 714 | * ThePawn |
| 715 | * ThePeepingTom |
| 716 | * ThePerfectionist |
| 717 | * ThePerformerKing |
| 718 | * ThePeterPrinciple |
| 719 | * ThePhilosopher |
| 720 | * ThePianoPlayer |
| 721 | * ThePigPen |
| 722 | * ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything |
| 723 | * ThePlotReaper |
| 724 | * ThePollyanna |
| 725 | * ThePornomancer |
| 726 | * ThePrankster |
| 727 | * ThePratfall |
| 728 | * ThePrecariousLedge |
| 729 | * ThePreciousPreciousCar |
| 730 | * ThePrimaDonna |
| 731 | * TheProfessor |
| 732 | * TheProfiler |
| 733 | * ThePromise |
| 734 | * ThePromisedLand |
| 735 | * TheProtagonist |
| 736 | * TheProudElite |
| 737 | * ThePsychoRangers |
| 738 | * ThePunishment |
| 739 | ** TheNotSoHarmlessPunishment |
| 740 | * ThePurge |
| 741 | * TheQuarterback |
| 742 | * TheQuest |
| 743 | ** TheHerosJourney |
| 744 | * TheQuietOne |
| 745 | ** TheSilentBob |
| 746 | * TheQuincyPunk |
| 747 | * TheQuisling |
| 748 | * TheRant |
| 749 | * TheRealHeroes |
| 750 | * TheRealRemingtonSteele |
| 751 | * TheReliableOne |
| 752 | * TheRemnant |
| 753 | * TheRenfield |
| 754 | * TheRepublic |
| 755 | * TheResenter |
| 756 | * TheReveal |
| 757 | ** TheUnreveal |
| 758 | * TheRightHandOfDoom |
| 759 | * TheRightOfASuperiorSpecies |
| 760 | * TheRival |
| 761 | * TheRoast |
| 762 | * TheRuinsICaused |
| 763 | * TheSacredDarkness |
| 764 | * TheScapegoat |
| 765 | * TheScottishTrope |
| 766 | * TheScourgeOfGod |
| 767 | * TheScrappy |
| 768 | * TheScream |
| 769 | * TheScrooge |
| 770 | * TheScrounger |
| 771 | * TheShortGuyWithGlasses |
| 772 | * TheShrink |
| 773 | * TheShutIn |
| 774 | * TheSiege |
| 775 | * TheSlacker |
| 776 | * TheSmartGuy |
| 777 | * TheSmurfettePrinciple |
| 778 | * TheSnarkKnight |
| 779 | * TheSneakyGuy |
| 780 | * TheSoCalledCoward |
| 781 | * TheSocialDarwinist |
| 782 | * TheSociopath |
| 783 | * TheSoulless |
| 784 | * TheSpiny |
| 785 | * TheSpock |
| 786 | * TheSpook |
| 787 | * TheSpymaster |
| 788 | * TheSquadette |
| 789 | * TheSquire |
| 790 | * TheStateless |
| 791 | * TheStoic |
| 792 | * TheStoner |
| 793 | * TheStoolPigeon |
| 794 | * TheStoryteller |
| 795 | * TheStrategist |
| 796 | * TheSvengali |
| 797 | * TheSwarm |
| 798 | * TheSwearJar |
| 799 | * TheTaxi |
| 800 | * TheTeam |
| 801 | * TheTeamBenefactor |
| 802 | * TheTeamNormal |
| 803 | * TheTeamWannabe |
| 804 | * TheTease |
| 805 | * TheTeetotaler |
| 806 | * TheTheocracy |
| 807 | * TheThreeFacesOfAdam |
| 808 | * TheThreeFacesOfEve |
| 809 | * TheTrickster |
| 810 | * TheTysonZone |
| 811 | * TheUglyGuysHotDaughter |
| 812 | * TheUnapologetic |
| 813 | * TheUndead |
| 814 | * TheUnderworld |
| 815 | * TheUnfairSex |
| 816 | * TheUnfavourite |
| 817 | * TheUnfettered |
| 818 | * TheUnHug |
| 819 | * TheUnintelligible |
| 820 | * TheUnpronounceable |
| 821 | * TheUnSmile |
| 822 | * TheUntwist |
| 823 | * TheVamp |
| 824 | * TheVicar |
| 825 | * TheVietnamVet |
| 826 | * TheVoice |
| 827 | * TheVoiceless |
| 828 | ** TheSpeechless |
| 829 | * TheWatchmaker |
| 830 | * TheWatson |
| 831 | * TheWhitestBlackGuy |
| 832 | * TheWisePrince |
| 833 | * TheWitchHunter |
| 834 | * TheWonka |
| 835 | * TheWoobie |
| 836 | * TheWorfBarrage |
| 837 | * TheWorfEffect |
| 838 | * TheWorldsExpertOnGettingKilled |
| 839 | * TheWormGuy |
| 840 | * TheWorstSeatInTheHouse |
| 841 | * TheWrongfulHeirToTheThrone |
| 842 | ** TheUsurper |
| 843 | [[/folder]] |
| 844 | |
| 845 | [[folder:The Video Games]] |
| 846 | * The prefixing of Japanese titles with a [[GratuitousEnglish gratuitous "THE"]] in romaji is almost a trope of its own. Examples include practically every game in Creator/D3Publisher's Simple series, and Creator/HudsonSoft's ''THE Kung Fu'' (known in English as ''China Warrior''). |
| 847 | ** The ''VideoGame/BishiBashi'' series has a later installment called '''''The''' Bishi Bashi''. |
| 848 | * Grand Knights of Kazimierz in ''VideoGame/{{Arknights}}'' are distinguished from regular Knights by having "the" before their title. Characters like Greynuty and Sona may have titles of "Ashlock" and "Flametail" respectively, but Nearl is ''the'' Radiant Knight and Droste is ''the'' Candle Knight. |
| 849 | -->'''Greatmouth Mob''': Today will see this Major's first clash of Grand Knight on Grand Knight! With the honor of 'the T, the H, and the E' on their titles, that's all you need to hear to know what these knights are about! |
| 850 | * ''{{VideoGame/Bastion}}'' has The Kid. Also, when meeting the other characters, they are only given a title initially which includes The Stranger, The Survivor and The Singer. |
| 851 | * In-keeping with [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk the Hulk]] and characters of that ilk, ''any'' PlayerCharacter in ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' can have the game plunk a "The" before the character's name whenever it appears onscreen. Any such optional "The" is omitted for occurrences of HelloInsertNameHere, however. |
| 852 | * ''VideoGame/{{Darius}}'' has exactly one boss prefixed with "The", in one of ''G-Darius''[='=]s final stages. |
| 853 | --> "WARNING! A HUGE BATTLESHIP [='=]'''THE''' EMBRYON' IS APPROACHING FAST" |
| 854 | * ''VideoGame/{{Destiny}}'', and how. On a regular basis, you'll hear all about the Traveler, the Darkness, the Speaker, the Stranger, etc. And that's not even getting into the locations. |
| 855 | * ''VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSinII'': "The Arx" is the greatest city in Rivellon and is the [[CityOfAdventure setting of the game's final act]]. |
| 856 | * ''Franchise/DragonAge'': |
| 857 | ** The ''Legacy'' DLC for ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' has the Carta searching for "The Hawke". This title actually is justified, in that the Carta aren't specifically referring to Hawke, but also their sibling, both of whom are they have been attempting to kidnap. Likewise, the title of "The Hawke" is occasionally used to refer to their father, Malcolm. The protagonist is frequently referred to as "The Champion" during the third act. |
| 858 | ** ''[[VideoGame/DragonAgeOriginsAwakening Awakening]]'', the expansion for the original ''VideoGame/{{Dragon Age|Origins}}'', has lots of folks who spell their names with a The: "The Architect", "The Mother", "The Withered", "The Lost", "The First"... |
| 859 | ** The protagonist is referred to as either "The Warden", "The Hero of Ferelden" or "The Commander of the Grey". |
| 860 | ** In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'', the Iron Bull is normally referred to by others as simply "Iron Bull" or "Bull", but he notes that it's supposed to have a "the" at the front. Cole makes a point to always say it that way (even when it's grammatically clunky, e.x. "What are you doing, the Iron Bull?", as per Cole's [[LiteralMinded literal-mindedness]]), but no-one else bothers. |
| 861 | --->'''Iron Bull:''' I like having an article in front of my name. It makes it sound like I'm not even a person, just a blunt object used for hitting things. I like that. ''A lot''. |
| 862 | * ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'': |
| 863 | ** The RedBaron of the PlayerCharacter in each game in the series to date has had one. To note: [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsArena The Eternal Champion]], [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIDaggerfall The Agent]], [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind The Nerevarine]], [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion The Champion of Cyrodiil]], [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim The Dragonborn]], and [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline The Soulless One]]. |
| 864 | ** The [=HoonDing=] is the Yokudan/Redguard spirit of perseverance over infidels and the "[[TheJuggernaut Make Way]]" god. The [=HoonDing=] has historically [[GodInHumanForm manifested]] whenever it is needed to "make way" for the Yokudan/Redguard people. It is almost always referred to as "The" [=HoonDing=]. |
| 865 | * Every ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' game uses this for the player character. Specifically, [[VideoGame/Fallout1 The Vault Dweller]], [[VideoGame/Fallout2 The Chosen One]], [[VideoGame/Fallout3 The Lone Wanderer]], [[VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas The Courier]] and [[VideoGame/Fallout4 The Sole Survivor]]. |
| 866 | ** New Vegas also has "The King", leader of [[ElvisImpersonator the]] [[NeighbourhoodFriendlyGangsters Kings]]. The King of Kings, if you will. |
| 867 | ** Also in New Vegas, both [[MadeOfIron Joshua]] [[OneManArmy Graham]] and [[EvilOverlord Caesar]] refer to the territory that was once the state of Utah as ''The Utah''. |
| 868 | *** Joshua himself is often referred to as "The Burned Man". |
| 869 | * ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' gives us a comical example in Vaike, who insists on being called (and [[ThirdPersonPerson who calls himself]]) "The Vaike." |
| 870 | * A Vortigaunt in ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' called Gordon Freeman "The Free Man". This is partially because the Vortigaunts revere Gordon as a MessianicArchetype, as he freed them from generations of slavery in ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'' -- he ''is'' [[MeaningfulName "The Free Man"]]. Other prominent characters are called "the Magnusson", "the Alyx Vance" and "the Eli Vance" but the main character's the only one whose nickname can stand on its own like that. |
| 871 | ** Freeman is also apparently known among various resistance groups as "The One Free Man", according to one of the Breencasts. [[DramaticIrony While they don't know about Gordon's situation with the G-Man]], Gordon is indeed entirely free of the Combine occupying the world. |
| 872 | * ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'': |
| 873 | ** The Arbiter, the original trilogy's second player character. In almost an inversion of [[WebAnimation/HomestarRunner The Cheat]], some characters leave out the article entirely and treat Arbiter like a name, even when referring to him in the third person. |
| 874 | ** The Forerunners ''love'' this trope. There were many Forerunner librarians, didactic individuals, prelates, etc. in their empire, but you ''know'' that The Librarian, The Didact, or The Prelate were very important people, and rather big deals. These were unique titles only, usually given to them by elders who felt they embodied the ideal of the word; each of those people had actual names that didn't begin with "the", but they tended to be referred to by their titles by ''everyone'', even between The Didact and Librarian, who were married! |
| 875 | ** Master-Chief, TheHero of the video games. While the UNSC are already TheDreaded among the Covenant, especially the Spartan Unit being named 'Demons', Chief takes it to the next level as he's specifically refered as '''The Demon''' after [[VideoGame/HaloCombatEvolved the destruction of Installation 04]], one of Covenant's sacred spots, as well as destroying most of the Covenant soldiers sent to destroy humanity. |
| 876 | * The Unnamed 771 from ''VideoGame/{{Hellsinker}}''. To explain, several enemies are entitled "[[NoNameGiven Unnamed XXX]]" where XXX is a three-digit number. The unnamed 771 is the only one with a "The" attached to it. |
| 877 | * Not only a name, but a title; ''VideoGame/IWannaBeTheGuy''. Also, The Kid. |
| 878 | * One of the bands in ''VideoGame/TheIdolmasterSideM'' is called '''THE''' Kogadou. |
| 879 | * ''VideoGame/LaMulana'', both the game title and the titular ruins. For those who don't speak Spanish, "La" is a feminine definite article. |
| 880 | * ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': |
| 881 | ** The Imprisoned in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword''. |
| 882 | ** The Calamity Ganon in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild''. |
| 883 | ** This was even done to a game: there are people, and even certain official marketing materials (such as the ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie'' promotional video), that have referred to [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime this one]] as ''[[https://youtu.be/lUqd1Y1p_Jg?t=606 The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time]]''. |
| 884 | * ''Franchise/MassEffect'': |
| 885 | ** The Illusive Man. |
| 886 | ** One ending of ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' has [[spoiler:the protagonist having become known as "The Shepard", thousands of years into the future]]. |
| 887 | ** ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'' has The Moshae, cool old lady for the angara people, and The Charlatan, mysterious information broker / crime lord of Kadara. The former just means "teacher", the later is kept by necessity to protect their identity. |
| 888 | * The BlindIdiotTranslation for the Navi Mode dialogue in ''[[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Mega Man Anniversary Collection]]'' sometimes puts a "the" in front of character names, resulting in things like "the Beat" or "the Plant Man". |
| 889 | ** ''VideoGame/MegaManX5'' gave us ''The'' Skiver. |
| 890 | * The members of the Cobra unit in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'': The Pain, The Fear, The Fury, The End, and The Sorrow. In the case of The Boss, however, other characters tend to just call her "Boss" (forgoing the "The") when speaking to her; probably as a sign of respect. However, her original codename was "The Joy". |
| 891 | * The old Shandalar ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' game features quiz questions inside dungeons that refer to cards with a "the" (e.g. What is the power rating of ''the'' Shivan Dragon?), which stands out as odd because it's not how card names in the source game are normally said. |
| 892 | * In ''VideoGame/MightAndMagic VII'', the android encountered in the final cutscene is at pains to point out that: |
| 893 | -->I am ''a'' Corak, not ''the'' Corak.[[note]]For context, Corak are androids, and the people he's speaking to had known another Corak, and expressed surprise at seeing him there after last seeing him crash-land on another world.[[/note]] |
| 894 | * In ''VideoGame/MonstersVsAliens'', The Missing Link is ''always'' addressed as ''The'' Missing Link. Dr. Cockroach even says things like "Nice job, The Missing Link." This is odd, as this was not the case in [[WesternAnimation/MonstersVsAliens the actual film]]. |
| 895 | * A bug in the English-language FanTranslation of ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'' causes some character names to be prefixed with a "The" in rare situations. As elaborated on the [[http://mother3.fobby.net/or/ online readme]], this is due to differences in English and Japanese grammatical structure that are very difficult to work around. |
| 896 | * ''VideoGame/{{Omori}}'': Mikhael insists on being called The Maverick. Although Maverick is a name, it's also a noun used to describe unique individuals, so it's actually grammatically correct. Knowing Mikhael, however, he probably still insists on the "The" even when it's not grammatically correct. |
| 897 | * ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'': The UpdatedRerelease of ''VideoGame/Persona4'' and ''VideoGame/Persona5'' gives them the title of ''The Golden'' and ''The Royal'' in the Japanese release, while the Western localization removes "The" from each title, leaving only "Golden" and "Royal". |
| 898 | * According to [[DummiedOut early version images]] found in the instruction booklet, ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' [[WhatCouldHaveBeen almost did this]]. Instead of "LASS wants to fight!", it would have instead said "The LASS wants to fight!". Considering how character names were handled at this point ("[[BlindIdiotTranslation The BROCK wants to fight!]]", which actually shows up in the instruction booklet's page on Brock), it's easy to see why it was changed before the final release. |
| 899 | * The ''VideoGame/{{Postal}}'' Dude. It's apparently his actual name. |
| 900 | * Count the number of times Boyd refers to The Milkman in ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}''. Now count how many times he says "Milkman" alone. [[note]]Interestingly, the G-men will say "a Milkman" or something similar every now and then, even though they're part of Boyd's mind.[[/note]] [[GotMeDoingIt Raz tends to use the 'The', too.]] |
| 901 | * The ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'' series has "[[PlayerCharacter The Boss]]," although homies typically refer to him/her simply as "boss." |
| 902 | * ''VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors 2'': If you take "Mitsuhide Akechi's 3rd Request" on the 41st floor of the Infinite Castle/Survival Mode, you get a mission to "defeat the Keiji Maeda". |
| 903 | * ''VideoGame/SlyCooper'' has "The Murray", The Contessa, and The Grizz. |
| 904 | * The Evil Guy in ''[[VideoGame/{{Something}} Something Else]]''. Since he is a GenericDoomsdayVillain, it makes him even more generic. |
| 905 | * According to some sources, the main character of the ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' series is actually named Sonic The Hedgehog -- first name Sonic, middle name The, last name Hedgehog.[[note]]Which means, when referring to the character himself, it should be written as Sonic The Hedgehog, not Sonic the Hedgehog.[[/note]] Poked fun at when Sonic makes a MetaphorIsMyMiddleName statement, and Knuckles responds "I thought your middle name was 'The'." |
| 906 | * The main character in ''A Spot of Bother'' and ''The Warlord, the Princess and the Bulldog'', Stavros "The Bulldog" [=McGrogan=], is very insistent on being referred to as "''The'' Bulldog." |
| 907 | * The [[AllThereInTheManual instruction manual]] for the ''VideoGame/GameAndWatch'' ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' refers to the BigBad as "[[http://www.intheattic.co.uk/images/G&W/Review/SMB/SMB_YM-105_Page8-9.jpg the Bowser]]". |
| 908 | * ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars Z'' gave us The Edel Bernal, who actually ''needed'' the "the" to distinguish himself from the other character named Edel Bernal. |
| 909 | * Pretty much everyone in ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' -- the Pyro, the Medic, the Announcer. This only extends to in-game text and the like, as in-game lines and the comics have them refer to each other without any articles. |
| 910 | * ''VideoGame/ToontownCorporateClash'': In dialogue and task text, the Managers are always referred to with a "The". For example, "the Rainmaker" or "the Prethinker". |
| 911 | * ''VideoGame/ToontownOnline'' has two Cogs with a "The" in their names: The Big Cheese and The Mingler. The game does not check whether this would break the grammar for [=NPC=] dialog. [[note]]This was amended in ''VideoGame/ToontownCorporateClash'' where both Big Cheese and Mingler lost the "The". Big Fish also had a "The" in Project Altis.[[/note]] |
| 912 | * In ''VideoGame/TotalAnnihilation'', one unit is named "The Can". Should a player decide to build fifty of them, he or she could reasonably be described as having an army of The Cans. |
| 913 | * The ArchEnemy in the ''VideoGame/{{Turrican}}'' series is THE almighty, evil and imperial Machine. In the clone ''Hurrican'', you're instead up against [[MikeNelsonDestroyerOfWorlds some random guy]] (although the PotHole is only comparatively true) called Dr. Geno X. |
| 914 | * ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'' has the Bionis and the Mechonis, the two gods on whose corpses the game takes place. |
| 915 | * The sequel to ''VideoGame/LordsOfTheFallen'' is named '''''The''''' ''Lords of the Fallen''. Not a reboot. Sequel. |
| 916 | [[/folder]] |
| 917 | |
| 918 | [[folder:The Visual Novels]] |
| 919 | * ''VisualNovel/HatofulBoyfriend: Holiday Star'' has The King. Nearly every character refers to him with the "the". Capitalized too. |
| 920 | [[/folder]] |
| 921 | |
| 922 | [[folder:The Web Animation]] |
| 923 | * A downplayed example comes from ''WebAnimation/AnimatedInanimateBattle'' with Oodle the Doodle. Even though there is a "the" in his full name, he does not mind being called "Oodle." |
| 924 | * ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' has a running gag based on this. There are a good number of characters and pseudocharacters whose names start with "the" (the most notable being The Cheat), and not only are they always addressed as such, but they will [[http://www.hrwiki.org/index.php/Integral_Article even preserve the "the" in cases where it conflicts with the grammar of the sentence]], like in the title of "500 The Cheats". |
| 925 | ** The King of Town is an exception; he's always addressed as either "King of Town" or just "King". That is, when he's not being addressed as "Oldie" or "Stank Wad". However, in episode 2 of ''VideoGame/StrongBadsCoolGameForAttractivePeople'', when Strong Bad denounces the King's rule, everyone starts consistently referring to him as "The Of Town" (including himself, after he's deposed). |
| 926 | ** In the case of The Cheat, it seems that the "The" is actually part of his name, rather than a title, which means it's always capitalized (though there have been a few occasions of him being referred to as simply "Cheat", they are very few and far between). |
| 927 | ** The old-timey counterpart of Homestar Runner is called The Homestar Runner. ''Literature/TheHomestarRunnerEntersTheStrongestManInTheWorldContest'' and ''Literature/WhereMyHatIsAt'', the children's books where Homestar originated from, also consistently refer to him as ''the'' Homestar Runner—albeit without capitalization, implying it's a title. This is retained in other toons set in the children's book universe, and lampshaded in the animated remakes: |
| 928 | ---> '''Homestar:''' If there's two things I know about Homestar Runner, it's that everybody loves the him, ''and'' he's a terrific athlete. |
| 929 | ** The Cheat's old-timey counterpart, The Sneak, follows the same rules as his modern-day counterpart. |
| 930 | ** One short featured Strong Bad wanting to change his name to The Leg (pronounced "ledge", short for "legend") until he actually wrote it down and realized what it looked like ("Homestar was right! This just spells 'leg'!"). |
| 931 | ** One of Strong Bad's wrestling alter egos in the WebAnimation/StrongBadEmail "[[Recap/StrongBadEmailE183YesWrestling yes, wrestling]]" does this twice, as he's referred to as The Il Cartographer ("il" is Italian for "the"). |
| 932 | ** Spinoff ''WebAnimation/TeenGirlSquad'' has "The Ugly One" as one of the main characters. Her father's name is "Manolios Ugly One," so it's very possible that her first name is "The." |
| 933 | * In the ''Website/CollegeHumor'' video [[https://youtube.com/watch?v=mOcixShtD5o "Bowser's Minions"]], the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' enemies refer to Mario as "The Mario". |
| 934 | * ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'': The Mole. |
| 935 | * ''WebAnimation/PimpLando'' has The Evil Guitarist. |
| 936 | * ''WebAnimation/FridayNightFunkinWithLyrics'': It's not "Boyfriend" and "Girlfriend" as in [[VideoGame/FridayNightFunkin canon]], it's "The Boyfriend" and "The Girlfriend". |
| 937 | [[/folder]] |
| 938 | |
| 939 | [[folder:The Webcomics]] |
| 940 | * The Comics Irregular's The Hyperstig in ''Webcomic/{{Mezzacotta}}''. |
| 941 | * ''Webcomic/{{Magellan}}'' has The Man Who Can, who constantly has to remind people to remember the 'The' in front, along with other parts of his nomme de guerre. |
| 942 | * ''Webcomic/ScaryGoRound'' gives us The Boy, along with his parents, The Mother and The Father. |
| 943 | * ''Every'' character in ''Webcomic/TheWayOfTheMetagamer 2: InNameOnly''. |
| 944 | * The Hulking Shyster and The Leering Gobbler from ''Webcomic/AMomentOfPeace'' have 'The' names because they each represent their species of monster. |
| 945 | * The UsefulNotes/LasVegas Tsunami from ''The Dugs'' features a protagonist known only as "The G.M." meaning General Manager. There have been several moments hinting at that the man's initials are also G.M. |
| 946 | * ''Webcomic/ImpureBlood'' The Abomination -- though [[http://impurebloodwebcomic.com/comic/chapter-1/page-007/ one of the first things asked on his rescue is his true name.]] |
| 947 | * Played around with in ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'': Ship names are generally referenced as "the" (IE, the ''Touch-And-Go''), though occasionally "the" is omitted (see the RealLife section below on ship names). In many cases, however, the {{Artificial Intelligence}}s of the various spacecraft share their name with the ship itself (exceptions exist, such as Ennesby during his stint as AI of ''Serial Peacemaker'' or Petey). In which case the ''ship'' might be spelled with a "the," but the AI is ''not'' (IE, the AI of the ''Athens'' is just, ''Athens''). |
| 948 | * [[ThirdPersonPerson The Hizrim]] from ''{{Webcomic/morphE}}'' refers to The Mage Asia Ellis and The Thatcher Mage as The all of The time. |
| 949 | * In ''{{Webcomic/Homestuck}}'', almost all of the [[spoiler:ancestors]] trolls have titles starting with the: [[spoiler:'The Handmaid'; 'The Summoner'; 'The Psiionic' 'The Signless]][[spoiler:/The Sufferer]]; [[spoiler:'The Disciple'; 'The Dolorosa']] and finally [[spoiler:'The Condesce']]. This trope is invoked in particular with lowblood [[spoiler:ancestors]], because they often have no title during their lives, and became known because of what they did. |
| 950 | ** There are exceptions if you turn some of the high blood titles into 'the' names: [[spoiler:'The Orphaner' 'The E%ecutioner]][[spoiler:/The E%patriate]] |
| 951 | * ''Webcomic/{{Nebula}}'': Played with: Jupiter insists on putting a 'the' in front of Sun's name to make ''himself'' sound more dramatic while talking about him. |
| 952 | * ''Webcomic/RageComics'' will often address nouns as "le (noun)" "le" being French for "the". |
| 953 | * There is a web comic and former syndicated comic strip called ''The Norm''. Norm is actually the main character's middle name; his first name is Theodore, which he shortens to "The". |
| 954 | [[/folder]] |
| 955 | |
| 956 | [[folder:The Web Original]] |
| 957 | * ''Website/TheCrewOfTheCopperColoredCupids'': Madame Tarsa is sometimes known as just "the Interdimensional Toymaker" or "the Toymaker". There is also "the Imperial Imperator" and "the Frost King," for whom [[NoNameGiven no other names are ever mentioned]], although it is less clear that they see these monikers as names rather than titles. |
| 958 | * Almost all of Franchise/TheFearMythos's [[EldritchAbomination Fears]] are like this- the Archangel, the Blind Man, etc. |
| 959 | * In ''WebOriginal/ProtectorsOfThePlotContinuum'', most of the Flowers are known by "The" plus species name, including some of the Firstborn, who are the only Flowers with proper "names". There is also the Mysterious Somebody, though he did secretly have a proper name, being a clone of [[spoiler:[[Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy Joruus C'baoth]]]]. |
| 960 | * Website/{{Facebook}} started out as [[http://www.thefacebook.com/ The Facebook]], before dropping the "The". |
| 961 | * Plenty of {{Creepypasta}} [[EldritchAbomination monsters]] and [[HumanoidAbomination Humanoid Abominations]] apparently also like to spell their names with a "The", including Literature/TheRake and [[Franchise/TheSlenderManMythos The Slender Man]], amongst others. |
| 962 | * ''WebVideo/ScootertrixTheAbridged'' has The Bird, a name derived from and reflecting the character's trauma from past TrainingFromHell. |
| 963 | -->'''Spike:''' Bird! Pinkie! Sup?\ |
| 964 | '''The Bird:''' It's pronounced ''The'' Bird.\ |
| 965 | '''Spike:''' Right, right. |
| 966 | [[/folder]] |
| 967 | |
| 968 | [[folder:The Web Videos]] |
| 969 | * The [[TranslationTrainWreck hilariously bad mistranslation]] turned [[GagDub fandub]] of ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', known as ''WebVideo/BackstrokeOfTheWest'', possibly has ''the'' most triumphant example with Count Dooku, [[AdaptationalNameChange who was renamed in the translation]] to simply "The" (although Ratio Tile also addresses him as "Drop" once). |
| 970 | * ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'': The ''Buu Bits'' discusses this with regard to the Great Saiyaman. |
| 971 | --->'''[[TheGadfly Sharpner]]:''' Oh my god, is 'the' part of his name? What is he, a rapper? |
| 972 | ** A CallBack would prove that Sharpner didn't let it go. |
| 973 | --->'''Sharpner:''' Tsk, oh c'mon, he knows I love him; you know I love you "THE Great Saiyaman"! |
| 974 | * WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic, which is now just "Nostalgia Critic". He dropped the "The" after his comeback. |
| 975 | * Steve and Larson of Ten FTW use "The Twitters" and "The Facebooks" and add it to years (e.g. "The 08"). |
| 976 | * ''LetsPlay/{{Raocow}}'' does this sometimes as a running gag, after it was popularized with the "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPJ1rku9ldc&t=7m31s Song of Mr. the Duck]]". One of his nicknames among the fans has subsequently become "Mr. the Cow". |
| 977 | * LetsPlay/{{Strippin}}'s channel name is actually ''[=TheStrippin=]'', although he only did this because the name "Strippin" was already taken. He almost never refers to himself by his channel's full name. |
| 978 | * ''WebVideo/EndTimes'' has The Archivist. |
| 979 | [[/folder]] |
| 980 | |
| 981 | [[folder:The Western Animation]] |
| 982 | * Nicktoon ''WesternAnimation/AaahhRealMonsters'' features their SadistTeacher, ''The'' Gromble. Also their school disciplinarian is normally referred to as ''The'' Snorch. |
| 983 | * ''WesternAnimation/ActionLeagueNow'': In an "Ask the League" segment, when asked if [[BigBad The Mayor]] has a first name: |
| 984 | -->'''The Flesh''': Same as mine...The! |
| 985 | * Every episode in the second half of the second season of ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce'' begins with the word "The" and is lampshaded with an episode titled "The The". |
| 986 | * ''WesternAnimation/AsToldByGinger'' had a dog called The Duchess, who Hoodsie always had to remind Carl to add the "the" to. |
| 987 | * ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': |
| 988 | ** "The Duke" ([[IronicNickname a little kid]]) gets mad if you call him "Duke". |
| 989 | ** '''[[ThirdPersonPerson The Boulder]]''' is angered by your failure to mention him! |
| 990 | ** "Load the Toph!" |
| 991 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'', from his own show. Oddly, the "The" is dropped for most of the characters that have it in the comics (i.e. it's now just Joker and Penguin), and even Batman himself isn't always referred to this way. |
| 992 | * A Pimp Named Slickback from ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'', though with a different article in front. He will not tolerate being called "Slickback." ("It's like Music/ATribeCalledQuest! You say the whole thing!") |
| 993 | * The Troll from ''WesternAnimation/CarmenSandiego'' insists on being referred to as "The Troll", even when it doesn't work grammatically in certain sentences. |
| 994 | * [[HeroWithAnFInGood "The Tommy" Gilligan]] from ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'' after he left the K.N.D. |
| 995 | * Played with on ''WesternAnimation/TheCupheadShow'', when Cuphead meats Baroness Von Bon Bon, when he refers to her as "The Baroness". She laughs and says "We're friends now! Call me 'The'" just to show how batshit insane she is. |
| 996 | --> '''Cuphead:''' You got a ''reeeeeeeeal'' creepy way about you, lady! |
| 997 | * (The) Hacker from ''WesternAnimation/{{Cyberchase}}''. It's even in his catchphrase. |
| 998 | -->'''Hacker:''' That's ''The'' Hacker to you! |
| 999 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': |
| 1000 | ** When Dr. Zoidberg got his mind swapped with Fry and is confronted with the Robo-Hungarian emperor in a wash bucket's body claiming to be Bender, he exclaims, "Bender, old pal! It's me, the Fry!" |
| 1001 | ** And in the Ultimate Robot Fighting episode, Bender's fembot companions address him as "Mr. The Offender", matching his stage persona as "Bender the Offender". |
| 1002 | ** In "Luck of the Fryrish", when Fry thinks that his brother stole his identity and fulfilled his dream of landing on Mars: |
| 1003 | --->'''Leela:''' [The tombstone] says, "Philip Fry, the Original Martian."\ |
| 1004 | '''Fry:''' That's a lie, every word of it! He wasn't original, he wasn't a Martian, he wasn't Philip Fry! And since when is he a "the"?\ |
| 1005 | '''Bender:''' You're twice the "the" he ever was! |
| 1006 | * ''WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain'': In [[Recap/InfinityTrainS1E10TheEngine "The Engine"]], [[TalkingAnimal the Cat]] tells Tulip to call her "THE Cat" when they part ways at the beginning of the episode. |
| 1007 | * ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'': |
| 1008 | ** A minor character is apparently named The Letter M. |
| 1009 | ** Also, [[VillainProtagonist Zim]] sometimes refers to others this way, particularly "[[HeroAntagonist the Dib]]", despite these characters [[InvertedTrope not doing it themselves]]. |
| 1010 | ** Combined with EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep, we have "the (Almighty) Tallest," [[BigBadDuumvirate co-leaders]] of the Irken Empire. Their real names, [[ColourCodedForYourConvenience Red and Purple]], are AllThereInTheScript. |
| 1011 | * In ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'', when Ron is [[StatusQuoIsGod temporarily]] rich for an episode, he [[AcquiredSituationalNarcissism insists on]] being referred to as "''The'' Ron". |
| 1012 | * In ''WesternAnimation/LittlestPetShop2012'', some girls like to call a teenage girl by her name of Blythe Baxter (hence adding "the" to her first name). |
| 1013 | * ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'': A mouse in “A Message to Gracias” and a cat in “Daffy’s Diner” both go by El Supremo, “El” being the Spanish word for the masculine singular “the”. |
| 1014 | * The Flea from ''WesternAnimation/MuchaLucha'' not only has a “The” in his name, he always speaks in the third person. |
| 1015 | * ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': |
| 1016 | ** The Great and Powerful Trrrrrrrrixie demands that you call her as such! Until her HeelFaceTurn when she finally gets over that. Then it's The Great and ''Apologetic'' Trrrrrrrrrixie and you'd better believe she's the most humble pony you ever met! |
| 1017 | ** We eventually find out that Spike's surname is actually ''The'' Dragon. |
| 1018 | ** In [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS7E26ShadowPlayPart2 "Shadow Play Part 2"]], Applejack at one point refers to Starswirl as "Mr. The Bearded". |
| 1019 | * ''WesternAnimation/OKKOLetsBeHeroes'': A reoccurring character who works at Lakewood Plaza Turbo is A Real Magic Skeleton, who is frequently referred to by his whole name, including the indefinite article. |
| 1020 | * In ''WesternAnimation/PAWPatrol'', minor villains Ladybird and Copycat are frequently called ''The'' Ladybird and ''The'' Copycat. |
| 1021 | * ''WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar'' is the AlternateContinuity TV series based on the eponymous penguins of ''WesternAnimation/{{Madagascar}}'' film trilogy. ''WesternAnimation/PenguinsOfMadagascar'', no "The", is the spinoff movie starring the eponymous penguins. |
| 1022 | * In ''WesternAnimation/ThePerilsOfPenelopePitstop'', the Ant Hill Mob's sentient car Chugaboom is occasionally referred to as "the Chugaboom". |
| 1023 | * ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'''s The Brain. Doesn't always get a "The" (especially from Pinky), but this seems to be his only first name when one is required. One episode of ''WesternAnimation/Animaniacs2020'' has Pinky hear The Brain refer to himself this way, act surprised, and wonder aloud if his name is actually "The Pinky". |
| 1024 | * ''WesternAnimation/RazzberryJazzberryJam'': |
| 1025 | ** All of the show’s {{Animate Inanimate Object}}s seem to have “The” as their middle name, to go with their Species Surname. |
| 1026 | ** For a more traditional example, take The Shock. And his ThirdPersonPerson tendencies make sure everyone around him knows this. (Though he’s never actually referred to this way, this means his full name would be The Shock The Double-Necked Guitar.) |
| 1027 | * ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': [[RoboticSpouse Karen]] tends to refer to the title character as "the [=SpongeBob=]" in early episodes. |
| 1028 | * ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'': In "[[Recap/StarTrekLowerDecksS1E07MuchAdoAboutBoimler Much Ado About Boimler]]", Tendi names her genetically engineered dog The Dog, always said with a "The" at the beginning. |
| 1029 | * ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekProdigy'': The Vau N'Akat members of the time-travelling Order abandon their names in favor of portentous nouns like "the Decider" and "the Vindicator". |
| 1030 | * ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsCloneWars'' and ''[[WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars Star Wars]]: '''[[WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars The]]''' [[WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars Clone Wars]]''. |
| 1031 | * ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': Inverted -- [[PsychopathicWomanChild Peridot]] tends to address others as "the [name]". It's [[RaceNameBasis technically correct]] when she's talking about other [[WizardsFromOuterSpace Gems]] ([[TheSmartGuy Pearl]] is a [[BeautifulSlaveGirl Pearl]], etc.), but "[[AllLovingHero The Steven]]" eventually has to explain that his name doesn't work that way. |
| 1032 | * ''WesternAnimation/StrawberryShortcake'': Subverted with The Peculiar Purple Pieman of Porcupine Peak. While he is a villain who speaks of himself using his full name (and following up with his song and dance), he couldn't care less that everyone else calls him by shorter versions of his name. |
| 1033 | * ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'': Starfire {{invert|edTrope}}s this, as she tends to address villains as "The (Villain Name)", even if their names don't have "the" to start with. This might be justified as being an idiosyncrasy of Tamaranian grammar she's carried over into English, but her sister Komand'r/Blackfire does ''not'' seem to do this. In ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'', Starfire's tendency to do this is even more exaggerated. She often inserts "the" in front of an adjective, which effectively turns a condition into a title: "Robin is sad" becomes, in Starfire-speak, "The Robin is The Sad." |
| 1034 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheTick'' contains a BatmanParody called Die Fledermaus, whose name (it sounds like "Deflator Mouse" when spoken) is always said with its article intact. |
| 1035 | * ''WesternAnimation/ElTigre'': The titular protagonist's name translates into English as "The Tiger". |
| 1036 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': Lampshaded in "Elsewhere and Elsewhen" when the main cast are discussing about The Collector's name. Providing the image quote from this page. |
| 1037 | * ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaWorldTour'': [[EnsembleDarkhorse Ezekiel]] starts to call himself "The Zeke" as part of his {{Determinator}}[=/=]JiveTurkey routine. He doesn't seem to care whether or not other people use it, though. |
| 1038 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Undergrads}}'' has "The Douggler". |
| 1039 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros'': Played with. The Monarch tells Hank that he is listed in the Guild of Calamitous Intent's books under M, for Monarch. Or possibly T, for The Monarch. This also applies to his wife, nee Dr. Girlfriend, later known as Dr. Mrs. The Monarch. |
| 1040 | * ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010'': |
| 1041 | ** In "Alpha Males", The Brain returns as the VillainOfTheWeek. |
| 1042 | --->'''Kid Flash:''' It's the Brain!\ |
| 1043 | '''Artemis:''' Duh, I can ''see'' it's a [[BrainInAJar brain]].\ |
| 1044 | '''Kid Flash:''' Not ''a'' brain; The Brain! |
| 1045 | ** [[TalkingWeapon The Scarab]] tends to refer to people this way, either with their superhero name ("The Impulse") or even normal names ("The Holling Longshadow"). Likely this is because he was created by a species where individuals have names like [[HisNameReallyIsBarkeep "the Scientist" and "the Ambassador"]]. The only exception seems to be [[KidWithTheLeash Jaime]], who's simply "[[FullNameBasis Jaime Reyes]]". |
| 1046 | [[/folder]] |
| 1047 | |
| 1048 | ---- |
| 1049 | ->TheStinger. |
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